1972 College Football All-America Team
The 1972 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 1972. The National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes six selectors as "official" for the 1972 season. They are: the American Football Coaches Association which selected its team for Kodak based on a vote of the nation's coaches; the Associated Press selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; the Football Writers Association of America selected by the nation's football writers; the Newspaper Enterprise Association selected based on the votes of sports writers at NEA newspapers; the United Press International selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers; and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Eight players are recognized by the NCAA as unanimous All-America selections. They are: wide receiver and 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska; tight end Charles Young of USC; offensive tackle Jerry Sisemore of Texas; offensive guard John Hannah of Alabama; running back Greg Pruitt of Oklahoma; defensive tackle Greg Marx of Notre Dame; middle guard Rich Glover of Nebraska; and defensive back Brad Van Pelt of Michigan State.
Consensus All-Americans
The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans for the year 1972 and displays which first-team designations they received.| Name | Position | School | Number | Official | Other |
| Rich Glover | Middle guard | Nebraska | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| John Hannah | Offensive guard | Alabama | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Greg Marx | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Johnny Rodgers | Wide receiver | Nebraska | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Jerry Sisemore | Offensive tackle | Texas | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Charle Young | Tight end | USC | 6/3/9 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Greg Pruitt | Running back | Oklahoma | 6/2/8 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, TSN |
| Brad Van Pelt | Defensive back | Michigan State | 6/2/8 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | Time, TSN |
| Tom Brahaney | Center | Oklahoma | 5/3/8 | AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, Time, TSN |
| Willie Harper | Defensive end | Nebraska | 5/2/7 | AFCA, AP, NEA, UPI, WC | FN, TSN |
| Dave Butz | Defensive tackle | Purdue | 4/2/6 | AFCA, NEA, UPI, WC | Time, TSN |
| Bert Jones | Quarterback | LSU | 3/3/6 | AFCA, NEA, UPI | FN, Time, TSN |
| Otis Armstrong | Running back | Purdue | 4/1/5 | AP, FWAA, UPI, WC | TSN |
| Bruce Bannon | Defensive end | Penn State | 4/1/5 | AFCA, NEA, UPI, WC | FN |
| Randy Gradishar | Linebacker | Ohio State | 4/1/5 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI | FN |
| Cullen Bryant | Defensive back | Colorado | 3/2/5 | AFCA, NEA, UPI | Time, TSN |
| Paul Seymour | Offensive tackle | Michigan | 3/2/5 | AFCA, FWAA, NEA | Time, TSN |
| Ron Rusnak | Offensive guard | North Carolina | 4/0/4 | AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI | -- |
| Randy Logan | Defensive back | Michigan | 3/1/4 | AFCA, UPI, WC | FN |
| Woody Green | Running back | Arizona State | 3/0/3 | AP, NEA, UPI | -- |
| Robert Popelka | Defensive back | SMU | 3/0/3 | AP, FWAA, WC | -- |
| John Skorupan | Linebacker | Penn State | 3/0/3 | AP, FWAA, NEA | -- |
Offense
Receivers
- Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska
- Steve Holden, Arizona State
- Barry Smith, Florida State
- Jason Caldwell, North Carolina Central
- Mike Creaney, Notre Dame
Tight ends
- Charle Young, USC
- Billy Joe DuPree, Michigan State
- Al Chandler, Oklahoma
- Gary Butler, Rice
- Steve Sweeney, California
- Daryl White, Nebraska
Tackles
- Jerry Sisemore, Texas
- Paul Seymour, Michigan
- John Hicks, Ohio State
- Pete Adams, USC
- John Dampeer, Notre Dame
- Curtis Wester, East Texas State
- Bruce Walton, UCLA
Guards
- John Hannah, Alabama
- Ron Rusnak, North Carolina
- Skip Singletary, Temple
- Joe DeLamielleure, Michigan State
- Geary Murdock, Iowa State
- Ken Jones, Oklahoma
- Larry Ulmer, Western Michigan
Centers
- Tom Brahaney, Oklahoma
- Jim Krapf, Alabama
- Doug Dumler, Nebraska
- Orderia Mitchell, Air Force
- Gerald Schultze, West Virginia
Quarterbacks
- Bert Jones, LSU
- John Hufnagel, Penn State
- Gary Huff, Florida State
- Tony Adams, Utah State
- Don Strock, Virginia Tech
Running backs
- Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma
- Otis Armstrong, Purdue
- Woody Green, Arizona State
- Dick Jauron, Yale
- Sam Cunningham, USC
- George Amundson, Iowa State
- Howard Stevens, Louisville
- Roosevelt Leaks, Texas
- Charlie Davis, Colorado
- Anthony Davis, USC
- Bob Hitchens, Miami
- Steve Jones, Duke
- Pete Van Valkenburg, BYU
Defense
Defensive ends
- Willie Harper, Nebraska
- Bruce Bannon, Penn State
- Wally Chambers, Eastern Kentucky
- John Matuszak, Tampa
- Ernie Price, Texas A&I
- Tab Bennett, Illinois
- Danny Sanspree, Auburn
- Steve Bogosian, Army
- Merv Krakau, Iowa State
Defensive tackles
- Greg Marx, Notre Dame
- Dave Butz, Purdue
- Roger Goree, Baylor
- John Grant, Southern California
- Derland Moore, Oklahoma
- John LeHeup, South Carolina
- Bud Magram, Colorado
- George Hasenohrl, Ohio State
- Bob Leyen, Yale
- Charlie Davis, Texas Christian
Middle guards
- Rich Glover, Nebraska
- Don Rives, Texas Tech
- Lucious Selmon, Oklahoma
- Tony Cristiani, Miami
Linebackers
- Randy Gradishar, Ohio State
- John Skorupan, Penn State
- Steve Brown, Oregon State
- Jamie Rotella, Tennessee
- Rich Wood, USC
- Jim Youngblood, Tennessee Tech
- Tom Jackson, Louisville
- Warren Capone, LSU
- John Mitchell, Alabama
- Jackie Wallace, Arizona
- Conrad Graham, Tennessee
- Matt Blair, Iowa State
- Glen Gaspard, Texas
- Jim Merlo, Stanford
- Eddie Sheats, Kansas
Defensive backs
- Brad Van Pelt, Michigan State
- Cullen Bryant, Colorado
- Randy Logan, Michigan
- Robert Popelka, Southern Methodist
- Burgess Owens, Miami
- Jackie Wallace, Arizona State
- Conrad Graham, Tennessee
- Randy Rhino, Georgia Tech
- Calvin Jones, Washington
- Drane Scrivener, Tulsa
- Frank Dowsing, Mississippi State
- Joe Blahak, Nebraska
- Jim Thomas, Florida State
- John Provost, Holy Cross
Special teams
Kickers
- Ricky Townsend, Tennessee
- Chris Gartner, Indiana
Punters
- Ray Guy, Southern Miss
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
- WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation
Other selectors
- FN – Football News
- PFW – Pro Football Weekly
- Time – Time magazine
- TSN – The Sporting News