AUBURN, Ala. – After taking turns winning the SEC's weekly defensive lineman award throughout the season, Auburn teammates Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson earned Sporting News All-America honors Tuesday.
Brown was named to the First Team, while Davidson made the Second Team. Brown's designation made him a consensus All-American, Auburn's first since Reese Dismukes in 2014.
If Brown is named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America Team on Wednesday, he would become Auburn's first unanimous All-American since offensive lineman Ed King in 1990.
The SEC's defensive player of the year won the Lott IMPACT Trophy Sunday in California then was named to the Associated Press All-America first team on Monday.
He's also earned first-team All-America honors from by Walter Camp and the Football Writers Association of America.
Brown and Davidson combined to win the conference's weekly defensive line award seven times, with Davidson holding a 4-3 edge. They share Auburn's team lead with 12.5 tackles for loss each.
Brown and Davidson practiced Tuesday afternoon with their teammates, getting ready for No. 9 Auburn's Outback Bowl matchup vs. No. 16 Minnesota at noon CT in Tampa, Florida on New Year's Day.
Sporting News 2019 All-American team
First-team Offense
QB: Joe Burrow, LSU
Burrow rewrote the SEC single-season record book with 4,715 passing yards and 48 touchdowns, leading a complete renovation of the LSU offense. Burrow's Heisman moments came with back-to-back touchdown drives in the second half of a 46-41 victory at Alabama — the game that shifted the SEC and Playoff races in the Tigers' favor.
RB: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
Hubbard led the FBS with 1,936 rushing yards and added 21 rushing touchdowns, but it was the way he did it. Hubbard had more than 100 yards rushing in every Big 12 game, and scored a touchdown in all but one game this season. That remarkable consistency gave him the edge over a loaded field at running back.
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
The Doak Walker Award winner lived up to the lofty standards set for Wisconsin running backs with another prolific season. He rushed for 1,909 yards and 21 touchdowns — and he capped the regular season with 148 yards and a touchdown in the rematch against Ohio State. Taylor was a second-team SN All-American in 2017 and a first-team selection in 2018. His is a banner career he will close at the Rose Bowl.
WR: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Lamb's game-breaking talent helped propel the Sooners to another College Football Playoff berth. He averaged 20.8 yards per catch — the most among FBS receivers who had at least 50 receptions. Lamb finished with 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns, and that came with missing a game because of a concussion.
WR: Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Burrow spread the wealth in LSU's new-look offense, and Chase was the biggest beneficiary. The Biletnikoff Award winner led the nation with 1,498 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 20.5 yards per catch. He had more than 100 yards in all four of LSU's regular-season victories against top-10 teams.
TE: Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
Bryant won the Mackey Award, given to the nation's best tight end. That made this an easy decision. He thrived in Lane Kiffin's scheme at Florida Atlantic, leading all tight ends with 65 catches for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns. He opened the season with six catches for 79 yards against Ohio State and scored touchdowns in five of the Owls' final six games.
OT: Penei Sewell, Oregon
The Outland Trophy winner had the highest grade of any offensive lineman on Pro Football Focus, and he was part of a dominant offensive line under Mario Cristobal. Sewell improved in pass protection as a sophomore and boasts the potential of a top-five pick down the line.
G: Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
Ohio State featured a relentless rushing attack this season, and the emergence of Davis along the interior of an improved offensive line made that possible. Davis made the jump from full-time starter for a unit that piled up 272.2 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.
C: Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
Biadasz was a first-team preseason All-American, and he lived up to that billing as the anchor of a line that paved the way for Taylor. The Badgers averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Wisconsin also allowed just 20 sacks in 2019. That starts with Biadasz moving the protections.
G: John Simpson, Clemson
Simpson arrived at the ACC Media Kickoff with a Trevor Lawrence wig, but don't let that fool you. The interior lineman continued to play with a nastiness that kept the pocket clean for Lawrence and opened running lanes for Travis Etienne. He played 598 snaps in the regular season and will pile on more in the Playoff.
OT: Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Thomas anchored a Georgia offensive line that featured the same ground-and-pound attack that averaged 189.3 rushing yards per game. Georgia allowed 0.92 sacks per game, and Thomas' reliable protection at tackle kept Jake Fromm comfortable all season en route to another SEC championship game appearance.
ATH: Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky
Bowden came to embody the term "athlete" this season. He starred at receiver and returner through his first five games, compiling 30 catches for 348 yards and a score while adding 163 kick return yards of seven returns. Bowden was pressed into quarterback duty because of injuries, and finished 5-2 as a starter with 1,235 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. There wasn't a better all-around performance this season at multiple positions.
First-team Defense
DL: Chase Young, Ohio State
Young was the most dominant player in the game for chunks of the season. The Heisman Trophy finalist led the nation with 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles, finishing fourth with 21 tackles for loss. That peaked with a four-sack performance against Wisconsin before a two-game suspension. Young returned, however, and was often double- and triple-teamed during a stretch run of victories against Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
DL: Derrick Brown, Auburn
Auburn had talent on the defensive line, but Brown remained the biggest difference-maker on the interior. It was more than just a reputation: He matched that with 49 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. The 318-pounder led a unit that allowed just nine rushing touchdowns all season.
DL: James Lynch, Baylor
The Bears had a breakout season in the Big 12, and Lynch, the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, was a part of that rise with 12.5 sacks, 18.5 forced fumbles and three forced fumbles. He totaled 5.5 sacks in a two-game stretch against Kansas State and Texas Tech. He also had two-sack games against Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. That solid play down the stretch vaulted him to the first team.
DL: Bradlee Anae, Utah
Utah's strength was a deep defensive line, and Anae emerged as a matchup nightmare off the edge. He had two games with three sacks this season and finished with 35 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Anae's efforts on that side of the ball were a big reason why the Utes won the Pac-12 South Division for the second straight season.
LB: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
The Butkus Award winner was the leader of a Clemson defense that led the FBS in total defense (244.7 yards per game) and scoring defense (10.6 points per game). Simmons led the Tigers in tackles (93), tackles for loss (14.5) and sacks (7.0). If that's not enough, the converted safety added two interceptions, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Given what the Tigers lost to the NFL last year, it's remarkable how Simmons' impact helped improve the unit statistically.
LB: Curtis Weaver, Boise State
Weaver was a known commodity coming into the season, and he lived up to the billing in another all-out season for the Broncos. Weaver piled up 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. Weaver had three games with multiple sacks for Boise State this season.
LB: Evan Weaver, Cal
The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year was dominant from start to finish. The senior linebacker led the FBS with 172 total tackles, and that includes three games this season with at least 20. He had double-digit tackles in 11 games, and mixed in 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He's a complete linebacker who played his best as a senior.
CB: Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
Ohio State's secondary was much improved under Broyles Award nominee Jeff Hafley, and Okudah was one of the biggest stars on the back end. Okudah had three interceptions and seven pass breakups, but he emerged as more of a lockdown cornerback opposing quarterbacks tried to stay away from. The Buckeyes ranked second in the FBS in pass defense.
CB: Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Stingley Jr. emerged as the next game-breaking cornerback for the Tigers in dynamic fashion. He finished fourth in the FBS with 15 passes defended, which went well with six interceptions. Stingley closed the regular season with a two-pick performance against Georgia in the SEC championship game. He did all that as a freshman.
S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
Winfield put together an incredible season in the secondary for the Gophers. He finished with seven interceptions and a pick-six, but he also added 83 tackles and three sacks. That's a big reason why the Gophers pushed through for a 10-win seasons. Now Winfield joins his father Antoine, a first-team SN All-American cornerback in 1998.
S: Grant Delpit, LSU
Delpit won the Thorpe Award after a season in which he totaled 56 tackles, six passes defended, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack. He's the leader of that loaded Tigers' secondary, and is now a two-time SN first-team All-American.
First-team Special Teams
K: Keith Duncan, Iowa
Duncan led the FBS with 29 field goals, and was money in the 40-50 range with a 14-of-18 conversion percentage. Duncan didn't try any from 50 yards or more, but his reliable leg continues a tradition of solid kickers under Kirk Ferentz.
P: Max Duffy, Kentucky
Duffy led the nation with 48.6 yards per punt, and the competition for this honor in the SEC is tough. Three other punters in the conference averaged more than 47 yards per punt, but Duffy was just a little bit better than the rest in 2019.
RET: Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Opposing teams held their breath whenever Waddle elected to return a punt. He led the nation in punt return average (24.9 yards) and total punt return yards (474 yards). He added 152 kick return yards this season as well, off just four returns. He scored on a punt return against LSU and a kick return against Auburn. There wasn't a more electric return man this season.
Second-Team Offense
QB: Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
RB: J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
RB: Travis Etienne, Clemson
WR: DeVonta Smith, Alabama
WR: Omar Bayless, Arkansas State
TE: Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
OT: Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
G: Kevin Dotson, Louisiana
C: Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
G: Shane Lemieux, Oregon
OT: Mekhi Becton, Louisville
ATH: Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis
Second-team Defense
DL: Marlon Davidson, Auburn
DL: Jaylen Twyman, Pitt
DL: Quincy Roche, Temple
DL: Gregory Rousseau, Miami
LB: Treshaun Hayward, Western Michigan
LB: Micah Parsons, Penn State
LB: Zack Baun, Wisconsin
CB: Trevon Diggs, Alabama
CB: Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
S: Xavier McKinney, Alabama
S: J.R. Reed, Georgia
Second-team Special Teams
K: Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
P: Braden Mann, Texas A&M
RET: Joe Reed, Virginia
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer