5 Michigan football players given All-American honors, led by consensus Mason Graham

Posted by Admin December 17, 2024 Football

Spread the love

There’s no doubt about it: Michigan football’s Mason Graham is the best defensive tackle in college football.

The 6-foot-3, 320-pound junior and projected top-10 selection in April’s NFL draft can now say that he is a consensus All-American after being named to the Football Writers Association of America’s first team on Tuesday.

Graham is now 4-for-4 in getting recognized, as he already earned the honor from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association, and the Associated Press.

Graham, now the 89th consensus All-American to come through Ann Arbor, can become the 27th unanimous All-American if he makes the Sporting News team, released Wednesday. It would be the third consecutive season that Michigan finished with a unanimous All-American, following Zak Zinter (2023) and Blake Corum (2022).

Graham declared for the NFL draft last week after a season in which he had 45 tackles (seven for loss) and 3½ sacks in 2024, adding three pass breakups and a forced fumble. But the Servite High School alum isn’t the only one who has gotten some postseason recognition.

Though he played in just six games, defensive back Will Johnson earned a spot on the Walter Camp and American Football Coaches Association second teams as well as a third-team nod from the Associated Press. He too declared for the NFL draft after setting a program record with three interceptions returned for touchdowns, two which came in the first month this season.

Kenneth Grant, Graham’s fellow defensive lineman, was named third team by the AP as well. Grant, who remains undecided on the draft as coaches try to entice him to return, finished with 32 tackles (6½ for loss), three sacks, five pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

On the other side of the ball, fellow NFL-bound standout Colston Loveland was named second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. Loveland, also a projected first-round pick, set a U-M record for receptions in a single season by a tight end (56) and led the team in receiving yards (582) and touchdowns (five).

Finally, kicker Dominic Zvada was named second team All-American by the AP.

Despite being left off the Lou Groza finalists list, Zvada was incredible in 2024, connecting on 17 of 18 field goal attempts, including a perfect and program-record 7-for-7 performance from 50 yards or further.

Zvada recently declared on social media he intends to return in 2025 for his senior season.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.