College football midseason freshman All-America team: Caleb Downs, Zachariah Branch and more

This is The Athletic’s midseason freshman All-America team, a squad made up of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen who are making a big impact on the 2023 season. The rise of the transfer portal has made it tougher for freshmen to get on the field right away and earn starting roles. That makes it especially laudable when these young players break through and start shining early in their careers.

We solicit nominations from across our staff and prioritize production when putting this team together. There was a long list of deserving candidates at every position, and many more will earn recognition on our end-of-season freshman All-America teams in December. Check out the overall midseason All-America teams here.

QB Byrum Brown, USF: New USF head coach Alex Golesh inherited a talented playmaker to build his offense around and is developing him into one of the most productive dual-threat quarterbacks in the FBS. The redshirt freshman, a three-star recruit from Raleigh, N.C., in 2022, ranks No. 5 nationally in total offense and has put up 1,662 passing yards with 19 total touchdowns and five interceptions through seven games. Brown has also picked up 660 rushing yards on 7.6 yards per carry if you exclude sacks, according to TruMedia, which ranks No. 1 nationally among QBs.

RB Darius Taylor, Minnesota: Taylor, a four-star true freshman from Detroit, exploded onto the scene in September with 206 yards against Eastern Michigan, 163 at North Carolina and 216 at Northwestern. Though he’s missed the last two games due to injury, Taylor’s 532 rushing yards still rank fourth-best in the Big Ten. He is averaging 6.3 yards per touch and scored four touchdowns during that monster three-game stretch.

RB Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan: The second-leading rusher in the MAC, Buckley is a redshirt freshman who joined the program as a no-star recruit out of Illinois and is thriving under new coach Lance Taylor. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound back has produced 680 total yards and six touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry and has topped 100 yards in three of his six games. He’s currently No. 13 nationally in rushing at 103 yards per game.

WR Kevin Concepcion, NC State: The Wolfpack have found a dependable playmaker in “KC,” their true freshman wideout who came in as a three-star in-state recruit and earned a starting role right away. The 5-foot-11, 187-pound slot receiver leads the team and is No. 4 in the ACC in receptions with 37 for 410 yards and four touchdowns, and he had 100-yard performances in wins over Virginia and Marshall.

WR Tyler Brown, Clemson: The 5-foot-11, 180-pound slot receiver has twice earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors and established himself as a go-to guy for Cade Klubnik in the Tigers’ offense. Brown, a three-star in-state recruit, has turned 24 catches into 338 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also contributing as a punt returner. His 153 receiving yards against Syracuse were the most by a Clemson true freshman receiver since Justyn Ross in 2018.

WR Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii: Ashlock ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West in receptions with 46 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns through seven games. The redshirt freshman was an unranked recruit coming out of Euless, Texas, and got off to a hot start to 2023 with a 127-yard game at Vanderbilt and 114 yards against Stanford. Ashlock earned Mountain West Freshman of the Week recognition for both performances and has seven or more catches in five games this season.

TE Luke Hasz, Arkansas: Hasz was only able to play in five games before suffering a broken clavicle that will likely end his season, but the true freshman made a huge impact for the Razorbacks in those five games with 16 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns. The four-star recruit from Bixby, Okla., caught six passes for 116 yards and two scores against LSU and looked poised for a big-time debut season prior to the injury.

OT Earnest Greene III, Georgia: The 6-foot-4, 320-pound redshirt freshman did not play in a game last year due to a back injury but rose up and earned the starting left tackle job as the successor to first-round pick Broderick Jones. Greene, a top-50 recruit from St. John Bosco in California, has done a nice job up front for the Bulldogs over his 456 snaps and hasn’t surrendered a sack according to Pro Football Focus.

OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami: Mauigoa began his career as a five-star recruit with big-time expectations and was No. 5 on Bruce Feldman’s 2023 Freaks List thanks to the “greatest muscle density in Miami history.” The gifted 6-foot-6, 341-pound true freshman from IMG Academy has started all six games at right tackle and given up three sacks on the year while protecting Tyler Van Dyke.

G Wendell Moe, Arizona: Arizona’s offense is loaded with young players making important contributions this season. Moe, a 6-foot-2, 340-pound redshirt freshman who came in as a three-star recruit from Long Beach Poly in California, has taken over the starting left guard spot and is playing at a high level for the Wildcats as a pass blocker, with two sacks allowed over 487 snaps.

G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State: Penn State needed “Vega” to step up and start after losing Landon Tengwall and JB Nelson to injuries, and he’s done just that. The 6-foot-4, 348-pound redshirt freshman, a three-star signee from Graham, Wash., has played at both guard spots and has allowed four pressures and one sack on 298 snaps.

C Parker Brailsford, Washington: Brailsford, a three-star recruit from Saguaro High School in Arizona, moved into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman and is putting together a good year as the man in charge of snapping to Heisman frontrunner Michael Penix Jr. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound lineman started two games at right guard before settling in at center and has yet to allow a sack while playing with one of the best offensive lines in the country.

DL Rueben Bain Jr., Miami: Bain, a top-100 recruit from local powerhouse Miami Central, has started the last four games for the Hurricanes since Akheem Mesidor was injured and leads all freshmen in the FBS with 19 quarterback pressures and a team-leading 2.5 sacks. The 6-3, 275-pound true freshman played a season-high 72 snaps in last weekend’s loss to unbeaten North Carolina and has played more snaps (235) than any defensive lineman on Miami’s team.

DL T.J. Parker, Clemson: The 6-foot-3, 255-pound top-50 recruit from Phenix City, Ala., ranks second to Miami’s Bain among freshmen for quarterback pressures with 17. Parker leads Clemson with 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. His 199 snaps are second among Tigers defensive linemen behind only Tyler Davis (202).

DL Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss: The 6-foot-3, 205-pound stand-up edge rusher, a five-star recruit in the 2023 class from Raleigh, Miss., leads all freshmen in the SEC with 3.5 sacks and ranks second in the league among freshmen with four tackles for loss. He has played 194 snaps and shined in his only start of the season with two sacks against Alabama.

DL Nuer Gatkuoth, Colorado State: A transcript issue kept the Edmonton, Alberta, native from seeing the field as a true freshman last year, but the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Gatkuoth has been highly productive for the Rams, with 31 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 21 pressures on 296 snaps.

LB Taurean York, Texas A&M: The lowest-ranked recruit in Texas A&M’s 2023 signing class – aside from punter Tyler White – has started all seven games for a very good Aggies defense and ranks second on the team with 41 tackles. York also has five tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble on 303 defensive snaps.

LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: The 6-foot-3, 234-pound true freshman from Denton, Texas, has been highly productive in 179 snaps off the bench for the Longhorns. Hill has racked up 25 tackles, 3.5 for loss, with three sacks and eight pressures — and shined against Alabama as a pass rusher playing the spy role against Jalen Milroe.

LB Javante Mackey, Arkansas State: The 6-foot-2, 228-pound redshirt freshman from Chicago who was ranked No. 1,502 overall in the 2022 class now ranks second among all freshman linebackers with 47 tackles in six games. Mackey has also produced nine pressures, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

DB Caden Jenkins, Baylor: Jenkins earned the Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week award for grabbing an interception and returning a fourth-quarter fumble for a touchdown in the Bears’ 36-35 come-from-behind win over UCF two weeks ago. The 6-foot-1, 173-pound Lewisville, Texas, product has also racked up 15 tackles, two pass breakups and two interceptions on 221 snaps for the Bears.

DB Caleb Downs, Alabama: The five-star true freshman from Hoschton, Ga., leads Alabama with 54 tackles and two interceptions. He has started all seven games at strong safety and picked up a forced fumble in Alabama’s game against Texas.

DB Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma: The 6-foot, 198-pound five-star freshman has made only one start but has been highly productive over his 191 snaps over six games. Bowen has produced 23 tackles and four pass breakups, forced a fumble in the win over Texas and has also shined on special teams by blocking two punts.

DB Dillon Thieneman, Purdue: The three-star from Westfield, Ind., leads all freshmen and is currently No. 2 in the Big Ten in tackles with 62. He has started all seven games for the Boilermakers, playing 480 snaps, and he also leads all freshmen with three interceptions.

DB Keon Sabb, Michigan: Sabb, a top-100 recruit in the 2022 cycle from IMG Academy, had a pick six in the win at Minnesota two weeks ago and had another interception last weekend in a win over Indiana. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Glassboro, N.J., product has made four starts and produced 15 tackles and two pass breakups over 215 snaps.

K Kyle Ferrie, Mississippi State: The true freshman from Arkansas is off to a strong start, converting eight of 10 field goal attempts this season and all 20 of his extra points. Ferrie has proved to be reliable on his long tries, connecting on two 47-yard kicks and two 49-yard kicks for the Bulldogs.

P Damon Greaves, Kansas: Greaves, a 23-year-old who previously played in the Australian Football League, is averaging 41.8 yards per punt for the Jayhawks with eight of his 16 punts dropped inside the 20. He hasn’t had a touchback yet, and Kansas has allowed zero punt return yards through seven games.

AP Zachariah Branch, USC: The five-star true freshman instantly proved himself to be one of the most electrifying playmakers in college football. Branch shined in his Trojans debut against San Jose State with a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown as well as a receiving touchdown, and he has turned 39 touches as a receiver/rusher/returner into 704 yards and four total TDs. He’s the only return man in FBS who has scored on both a kickoff and a punt. After missing two games due to injury, Branch is back and poised for a big second half as one of Lincoln Riley’s favorite chess pieces.

(Top illustration photos: Michael Reaves / Getty Images; Andy Lewis, Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)