Todd Gurley, Ramik Wilson emerge as ‘consensus’ All-Americans

It is officially “game week” in the world of college football, and with that, the Georgia Bulldogs are receiving a great deal of national attention, especially with regard to their upcoming match-up against the Clemson Tigers. From a personnel perspective, the attention has grown for a couple of athletes, and throughout the off-season, running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Ramik Wilson have received several accolades. On Monday, the duo was showered with additional praise as they emerged as “consensus” All-Americans.

Using a formula that combines six well-respected outlets (ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS, Sports Illustrated, Phil Steele, and USA Today), Robby Kalland of The FanBuzz presented both Gurley and Wilson with top honors. Here is what he had to say about Gurley’s selection:

"Gurley was on all six outlets’ preseason All-American first team and is widely considered the best running back in the country. Last season, Gurley rushed for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns on 165 carries in the 10 games he saw action. With quarterback Aaron Murray moving on to the NFL and the relatively inexperienced Hutson Mason taking over, the Bulldogs will likely feed Gurley the ball as much as possible to carry the load offensively."

The speedy, powerful running back has emerged as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, but in addition to that, Gurley was one of the only unanimous selections across the six outlets. Health is the primary concern for Gurley as the season approaches, but the talent is undeniable, and he should have every opportunity to excel as the featured back under Mike Bobo’s tutelage.

Here is are Kalland’s thoughts on Ramik Wilson:

"Wilson also received a spot on five of the six first teams (with the exception of ESPN who had his teammate Leonard Floyd instead). Wilson was seemingly everywhere for the Bulldogs last season amassing 133 tackles (tops in the SEC) on the season along with four sacks from his middle linebacker position. Wilson is the leader of a tremendous linebacker unit at Georgia and figures to have another high production season in the middle for the Dawgs."

Hilariously, the UGA coaching staff stopped short of anointing Ramik Wilson as a starter over the weekend, but that is simply noise at this point, and the leading tackler in the SEC is a fixture on All-American teams everywhere. The linebacking corps is the strength of the Georgia defense this season, and Wilson will be at the center of everything that Jeremy Pruitt deploys on that side of the ball.