Iowa Football: Sporting News Snubs Two Hawkeyes in All-America Team

Award season continues to roll along in the college football world and will continue to do so all week as the various organizations which make up the consensus All-America contingent hand out their honors.

Today, it was the Sporting News releasing their first and second teams. Among them was a familiar name. Perhaps more notable, however, were a pair of names the Sporting News seemed to forget when crafting their teams.

Kicker Keith Duncan, for his part, has finally begun to see the national respect he deserves. Sporting News named Duncan their first team All-America kicker. That marks the second group to name Duncan as such after the AP named him to the first team a day ago. While Duncan was second team according to the Walter Camp Football Foundation, he now has two first team votes of the five groups that count toward consensus status. Just one more and Iowa will have their first consensus All-American since Josey Jewell and Josh Jackson in 2017.

Two other Hawkeyes, however, were left off both the first and second teams Sporting News came up with. Tristan Wirfs earned first team honors from Walter Camp and second team from the AP. A.J. Epenesa was second team according to both. The Sporting News snubbed each of them.

Here’s a look at those they did see fit to honor.

Sporting News 2019 All-American team

First-team Offense

QB: Joe Burrow, LSU

RB: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

WR: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

WR: Ja’Marr Chase, LSU

TE: Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic

OT: Penei Sewell, Oregon

G: Wyatt Davis, Ohio State

C: Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin

G: John Simpson, Clemson

OT: Andrew Thomas, Georgia

ATH: Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky

First-team Defense

DL: Chase Young, Ohio State

DL: Derrick Brown, Auburn

DL: James Lynch, Baylor

DL: Bradlee Anae, Utah

LB: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

LB: Curtis Weaver, Boise State

LB: Evan Weaver, Cal

CB: Jeff Okudah, Ohio State

CB: Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota

S: Grant Delpit, LSU

First-team Special Teams

K: Keith Duncan, Iowa

P: Max Duffy, Kentucky

RET: Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

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

---

The two remaining organizations to hand out their All-America honors are the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America. The AFCA will make their announcement tomorrow with the FWAA’s coming on Friday.

Congratulations to Keith Duncan yet again. Here’s hoping the remaining organizations are a little more generous to Mr. Wirfs and Mr. Epenesa.