The MAC scores three First Team All-American bids, as selected by the Associated Press.
The 2024 Associated Press All-American team was revealed Monday.
The AP is among the most prestigious All-American selectors. It is one of five selectors recognized by the NCAA to determine “consensus” and “unanimous” All-Americans. It is also the second oldest of the five major All-American selectors — first nominating a team in 1925.
Three players from the Mid-American Conference scored First Team All-American honors. Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr., Western Michigan guard Addison West, and Buffalo inside linebacker Shaun Dolac were all among the honorees at the top of their positions. It is the second time in College Football Playoff era (2014-present) the MAC landed three AP All-Americans, a feat similarly accomplished in 2022.
Fannin earned status as the lone First Team All-American tight end after posting the greatest season in regular history by anybody to ever play the position. The Bowling Green star became the first tight end to win a conference’s MVP award after disrupting the record books all year long. His 1,342 receiving yards currently rank second in the FBS and second in college football history among tight ends — 10 yards short of Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro’s record in 2013. Fannin has a chance to exceed that mark during the upcoming 68 Ventures Bowl. He also is one of two FBS players with 100 receptions in 2024, ranks first among all receivers/tight ends in broken tackles, and he has 10 total touchdowns on the season — nine as a pass-catcher and one on a 31-yard jet sweep. Fannin is the first Falcon to earn AP First Team All-American honors since punter Cris Shale in 1990.
West was one of two offensive guards to receive First Team honors, sharing the designation with North Carolina’s Willie Lampkin. West is the first Western Michigan selection to the AP All-American First Team since wide receiver Corey Davis in 2016. The star right guard paved the way for First Team All-MAC running back Jaden Nixon, and three different Broncos reached 600 rushing yards operating behind him. The senior also assisted two different running backs to 1,000-yard campaigns, helping Sean Tyler in 2022 and Jalen Buckley in 2023 reach that threshold. West, a First Team All-MAC selection, did not allow a single sack all season and recently concluded his college career in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Dolac received a First Team selection thanks to his status as the nation’s leading tackler. Dolac ranks atop the FBS with 159 tackles — just two years after leading the country in solo tackles. The inside linebacker won MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in a season where he posted a conference-best 17 tackles for loss along with 5.5 sacks. Dolac also ranks third nationally with five interceptions, and his 177 interception return yards are more than any other player in the FBS. He broke up four passes this year and scored one defensive touchdown in an all-around sensational senior campaign for the Bulls. Dolac, a former walk-on, joins teammate Marcus Fuqua as active Buffalo defenders to earn AP All-American honors, and he is the first Buffalo linebacker to land on an AP All-American team since Khalil Mack in 2013. He is the first AP First Team All-American in program history.
The 2024 season is the first time the MAC earned three AP First Team All-Americans in the 21st century.