Eric Boggs
Seven Buckeyes were named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-American teams, and now the Walter Camp Football Foundation has honored five Buckeyes to their Pre-Season All-American Team. Tyleik Williams and Emeka Egbuka made the first team, while Quinshon Judkins, Caleb Downs, and Denzel Burke were on the second team.
Ohio State had the most players on the list while Alabama and Notre Dame each had four, and Georgia and Michigan each had three.
Tyleik Williams, who was a second-team All-American last year, is an important part of Ohio State’s defensive line. In his three years at Ohio State, the 6-foot-3, 327-pound tackle has played in 38 games, making 90 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, nine pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Emeka Egbuka, a two-time All-Big Ten player, needs 78 more catches to break K.J. Hill’s school record of 201 career receptions. He also needs 1,041 more receiving yards to break Michael Jenkins’ record of 2,898 career receiving yards. In his three years and 36 games, Egbuka has 124 receptions for 1,857 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Quinshon Judkins transferred to Ohio State in January after two seasons at Ole Miss. In 26 games for Ole Miss, the 6-foot, 219-pound running back had 545 carries for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns, earning two first-team All-SEC honors. This season, he will share the backfield with TreVeyon Henderson, who has 446 carries for 2,745 yards and 31 touchdowns in his three years at Ohio State.
Caleb Downs also transferred to Ohio State in January after one year at Alabama. The 2023 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year made 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and two interceptions in 14 games for Alabama. He was also a first-team All-SEC player.
Denzel Burke, a second-team All-American last year, needs 11 more starts to break the school record for starts by a cornerback. Burke, a two-time All-Big Ten player, has 95 tackles, six tackles for loss, 26 pass breakups, and two interceptions in his 35 games at Ohio State.
