SN 140: Sporting News College Football 2010s All-America team led by Lamar Jackson, Aaron Donald

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The 2010s belonged to the SEC, which won six national championships. Auburn, Alabama and LSU's all-time juggernaut in 2019 all took home titles while the rest of the college football world tired of that ubiquitous three-letter chant.

Those results are reflected in our All-America team from the decade. Ten of the 25 selections were from the SEC, and interestingly, none of the 2019 Tigers made the cut.

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson and Alabama running back Derrick Henry – now teammates in the NFL – are part of a loaded offense. Pitt's Aaron Donald and Texas A&M's Myles Garrett – perhaps future teammates in the NFL – are a part of the defense. It's another loaded all-decade team. 

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SN 140 2010s All-America Team (2010-19) 

Offense

QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville 

RB: Derrick Henry, Alabama

RB: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

WR: Amari Cooper, Alabama 

TE: Mark Andrews, Oklahoma 

T: Penei Sewell, Oregon

G: Joshua Garnett, Stanford 

C: Barrett Jones, Alabama 

G: Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame

T: Cam Robinson, Alabama 

AP: Saquon Barkley, Penn State

K: Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State 

Star power

This offense features next-level talent that has combined for 36 Pro Bowl appearances and 15 All-Pro selections at the NFL level. That doesn't influence college All-America selections, but it does show the can't-miss factor these star players had. Henry and Jackson – now teammates with the Baltimore Ravens – won the Heisman Trophy in 2015 and 2016, respectively.  Blackmon was a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner and Unanimous All-America selection at Oklahoma State. 

Best position group

Running back. Henry edged out McCaffrey by 293 votes to win the 2015 Heisman Trophy – which was a polarizing decision at the time. We slotted both in the running back spots. Barkley – who had 43 rushing TDs and also averaged 27.8 yards per kickoff return with two TDs – was a fit in the athlete position. That means we left off Wisconsin running backs Jonathan Taylor – who ranks second in Big Ten history with 6,174 yards — and Melvin Gordon – who rushed for 2,587 yards in 2014. Which Big Ten running back would you take among the three? There is no wrong answer. 

Toughest debate

Quarterback. Jackson was our choice, but there were other options. Clemson's Deshaun Watson never won the Heisman Trophy, but he led the Tigers to a national championship in 2016. LSU's Joe Burrow and Auburn's Cam Newton had arguably the two greatest seasons by a Heisman Trophy-winning QB of all time. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Oregon's Marcus Mariota were also considered. Jackson put up incredible stats as a two-year starter at Louisville, however, and that was part of our decision. Jackson actually had more total yards in 2017 – the season after he won the Heisman Trophy. 

Defense 

DL: Jonathan Allen, Alabama

DL: Aaron Donald, Pitt

DL: Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

DL: Chase Young, Ohio State

LB: Luke Kuechly, Boston College

LB: Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

LB: Scooby Wright, Arizona

CB: Patrick Peterson, LSU 

CB: Morris Claiborne, LSU 

S: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama 

S: Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

P: Tom Hackett, Utah 

Star power

Donald won the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy as part of a dominant 2013 season in which he had 11 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss. Donald finished his career with 66 tackles for loss. Ohio State's Chase Young was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2019. Mathieu – also known as the "Honey Badger" – finished fifth in 2019. Allen finished seventh in the Heisman voting and was one of Nick Saban's most-decorated defenders at Alabama. Kuechly led the NCAA in total tackles in back-to-back seasons in 2011-12. 

Best position group

Defensive line. Allen, Donald and Young were all shoo-ins, and how do you leave Garrett off the list? The depth of talent at the position is absurd when you consider a second team likely would have been four out of NC State's Bradley Chubb, Ohio State's Joey Bosa, South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, Houston's Ed Oliver, Clemson's Christian Wilkins and Alabama's Quinnen Williams. It's a deep mix of defensive ends and interior defensive tackles. 

Toughest debate

Michigan's Jabrill Peppers vs. LSU's Tyrann Mathieu. Peppers also finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2016. Both players gained notoriety for being all-around talents. Who was the better all-around player? The numbers are comparable across the board, but Mathieu made more of an impact in the secondary for the Tigers – who finished 13-1 and made the BCS championship game. We'll stick with Mathieu here. 

Fun fact 

Alabama and LSU each head four Unanimous defensive backs in this decade, and we gave three spots to LSU defensive backs Mathieu, Peterson and Claiborne. Peterson and Claiborne swept the Thorpe Award and Bednarik Award. So did Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. That makes for a loaded secondary. The other Unanimous All-Americans were LSU's Grant Delpit – who won the Thorpe Award in 2019 – and Alabama's Mark Barron, Dee Milliner and Landon Collins.

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