1971 College Football All-America Team
The 1971 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1971. The National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes five selectors as "official" for the 1971 season. They are: the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the United Press International.
Nine players are recognized by the NCAA as unanimous All-America selections. They are: quarterback and 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan of Auburn; running backs Ed Marinaro of Cornell and Greg Pruitt of Oklahoma; receiver Terry Beasley of Auburn; tackle Jerry Sisemore of Texas; guard Royce Smith of Georgia; defensive end Walt Patulski of Notre Dame; linebacker Mike Taylor of Michigan; and defensive back Bobby Majors of Tennessee.
Consensus All-Americans
The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans for the year 1971 and displays which first-team designations they received.| Name | Position | School | Number | Official | Other |
| Terry Beasley | Receiver | Auburn | 5/4/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Bobby Majors | Defensive back | Tennessee | 5/4/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Walt Patulski | Defensive end | Notre Dame | 5/4/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Royce Smith | Offensive guard | Georgia | 5/4/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Mike Taylor | Linebacker | Michigan | 5/4/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Ed Marinaro | Running back | Cornell | 5/3/8 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN |
| Pat Sullivan | Quarterback | Auburn | 5/3/8 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, TSN, WC |
| Clarence Ellis | Defensive back | Notre Dame | 4/4/8 | AFCA, AP, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Reggie McKenzie | Offensive guard | Michigan | 4/4/8 | AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Greg Pruitt | Running back | Oklahoma | 5/2/7 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Jerry Sisemore | Offensive tackle | Texas | 5/2/7 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Sherman White | Defensive tackle | California | 3/4/7 | AFCA, FWAA, NEA | FN, Time, TSN, WC |
| Johnny Rodgers | Receiver | Nebraska | 4/2/6 | AFCA, FWAA, NEA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Jeff Siemon | Linebacker | Stanford | 4/2/6 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI | FN, Time |
| Larry Jacobson | Defensive tackle | Nebraska | 4/1/5 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI | Time |
| Tom Brahaney | Center | Oklahoma | 3/2/5 | AFCA, AP, FWAA | FN, WC |
| Dave Joyner | Offensive tackle | Penn State | 3/2/5 | AFCA, FWAA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Johnny Musso | Running back | Alabama | 3/2/5 | AFCA, FWAA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Tommy Casanova | Defensive back | LSU | 2/3/5 | FWAA, UPI | FN, Time, WC |
| Mel Long | Defensive tackle | Toledo | 4/0/4 | AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI | -- |
| Willie Harper | Defensive end | Nebraska | 2/2/4 | NEA, UPI | FN, WC |
| Ernie Jackson | Defensive back | Duke | 2/0/2 | AFCA, FWAA | -- |
Offense
Receivers
- Terry Beasley, Auburn
- Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska
- Mike Siani, Villanova
- Tom Gatewood, Notre Dame
- Cliff Branch, Colorado
- Rhett Dawson, Florida State
Tight ends
- Riley Odoms, Houston
- Doug Kingsriter, Minnesota
- Charles Young, USC
Tackles
- Jerry Sisemore, Texas
- Dave Joyner, Penn State
- John Vella, USC
- John Hannah, Alabama
- Tom Drougas, Oregon
- Lionel Antoine, Southern Illinois
- Tom Luken, Purdue
- Carl Johnson, Nebraska
- Mike Stark, Memphis State
Guards
- Reggie McKenzie, Michigan
- Royce Smith, Georgia
- Gordon Gravelle, BYU
- John Hannah, Alabama
- Dick Rupert, Nebraska
- B. C. Williams, West Virginia
- Ken Jones, Oklahoma
Centers
- Tom Brahaney, Oklahoma
- Tom DeLeone, Ohio State
- Dave Dalby, UCLA
Quarterbacks
- Pat Sullivan, Auburn
- Chuck Ealey, Toledo,
- Jerry Tagge, Nebraska
- Jack Mildren, Oklahoma
- John Reaves, Florida
Running backs
- Ed Marinaro, Cornell
- Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma
- Johnny Musso, Alabama
- Ahmad Rashād fka Bobby Moore, Oregon
- Lydell Mitchell, Penn State
- Eric Allen, Michigan State
- Billy Taylor, Michigan
- Robert Newhouse, Houston
- Jeff Kinney, Nebraska
Defense
Defensive ends
- Walt Patulski, Notre Dame
- Willie Harper, Nebraska
- Smylie Gebhart, Georgia Tech
- Robin Parkhouse, Alabama
- Junior Ah You, Arizona State
- Mike Keller, Michigan
- Gene Ogilvie, Air Force
Defensive tackles
- Larry Jacobson, Nebraska
- Mel Long, Toledo
- Sherman White, California
- Herb Orvis, Colorado
- Mike Kadish, Notre Dame
- Ron Estay, LSU
- Pete Lazetich, Stanford
Middle guards
- Rich Glover, Nebraska
- Ron Curl, Michigan State
- Doug Krause, Miami
- Bud Magrum, Colorado
Linebackers
- Mike Taylor, Michigan
- Jeff Siemon, Stanford
- Jackie Walker, Tennessee
- Dave Chaney, San Jose State
- Willie Hall, Southern California
- Chuck Zapiec, Penn State
- Mark Arneson, Arizona
- Rodrigo Barnes, Rice
- Ralph Cindrich, Pittsburgh
- Joe Federspiel, Kentucky
- Steve Aycock, Oklahoma
- Bill Light, Minnesota
- Harold Sears, Miami
Defensive backs
- Bobby Majors, Tennessee
- Clarence Ellis, Notre Dame
- Tommy Casanova, LSU
- Ernie Jackson, Duke
- Brad Van Pelt, Michigan State
- Willie Buchanon, San Diego State
- Thom Darden, Michigan
- Eric Hutchinson, Northwestern
- Dickie Harris, South Carolina
- Craig Clemons, Iowa
- Windlan Hall, Arizona State
- Tom Myers, Syracuse
- Robert Popelka, SMU
- Ralph McGill, Tulsa
Special teams
Kickers
- Bill McClard, Arkansas
- Chester Marcol, Hillsdale College
Punters
- Marv Bateman, Utah
Key
- Bold – Consensus All-American
- -1 – First-team selection
- -2 – Second-team selection
- -3 – Third-team selection
Official selectors
- AFCA – American Football Coaches Association for Kodak
- AP – Associated Press
- FWAA – Football Writers Association of America
- NEA – Newspaper Enterprise Association
- UPI – United Press International
Other selectors
- FN – Football News
- Time – Time magazine
- TSN – The Sporting News
- PFW – Pro Football Weekly
- WC – Walter Camp Football Foundation