Arizona football's Tetairoa McMillan named Walter Camp preseason first team All-American

When selecting college football All-Americans, there are two types: consensus and unanimous. These are decided based on the All-American Teams from five NCAA-recognized publications:

• Associated Press
• American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)
• Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)
• Sporting News,
• Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF)

Consensus honorees earn nods from three publications and unanimous honorees earn nods from all five. On Monday, July 1, the Walter Camp Football Foundation released its 2024 Preseason All-American teams, which included Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan as a first-team nod.

Due to the wealth of NFL-caliber receivers in the FBS in 2023, McMillan flew under most radars. While all the attention was on LSU, Washington, Ohio State, and Oregon, the Arizona standout only earned All-American honors from the AP (third team) and Sporting News (second team) last season.

What does McMillan need to do to be an All-American?

McMillan is one of three wide receivers jockeying for the title of college football's best wide receiver in 2024 alongside Missouri's Luther Burden III and, to an extent, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka. Frankly, he needs to repeat last season's production if he wants to be the first All-American out of Arizona in 10 years.

The WCFF and AFCA name two first-team wide receivers, while Sporting News, the FWAA, and AP name three. This means all three will likely be consensus All-Americans, but the choices made by the WCFF and AFCA will determine who will earn unanimous honors. These three also will likely be the ones battling it out for the 2024 Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation's best wide receiver.

McMillan has the best combination of physical traits and production of the three. The 6-foot-5 Wildcat towers over the 5-foot-11 Burden and the 6-foot-1 Egbuka — though they're all around the same weight. McMillan also led the trio last year in receptions (90), yards (1,402), touchdowns (10), and yards per catch (15.6).

With Noah Fifita taking up the reins as the opening-day starting quarterback, there's no reason to think McMillan's production won't at least remain excellent. More time on the field with his high school signal-caller — and maybe a few more pounds in the weight room — is a recipe for more greatness.

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