Though college football is undergoing constant change with the transfer portal, NIL and conference realignment, the collection of talent in the sport has never been better. Player development and retention has given us a top tier of stars that are, in some cases, already good enough to be playing on Sundays but instead are using their talents to power wins on Saturdays in the fall. 

The CBS Sports Preseason All-America team for 2025 is filled with names who fit that mold; players who were highly touted as high school prospects and have developed into some of the top stars in college football. Not everyone turned down a shot at the NFL, such as first team running back Nick Singleton from Penn State, but even the underclassmen on this All-America team are of the caliber where the next level is already counting down their arrival. 

Speaking of underclassmen, Ohio State sophomore Jeremiah Smith was the only unanimous selection in this year’s voting. The Buckeyes’ wide receiver is joined by Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart, Texas defensive end Colin Simmons and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore as true sophomores we are expecting to have a strong 2025 after breakout debut seasons. 

In terms of conferences, our All-America team is unsurprisingly led by 11 selections from the SEC followed by eight from the Big Ten. Many of the College Football Playoff participants and anticipated contenders are well-represented, with Texas, Ohio State and Penn State all putting multiple players on the squad. 

2025 CBS Sports Preseason All-America

*  unanimous selection | classes from official team rosters | stats from 2024 season

Offense 

Cade Klubnik

CLEM • QB • #2

Yards3,639

TD38

INT6

Rush Yards463

Rush TD7

Hometown: Austin, Texas | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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QB: Cade Klubnik | Sr. | Clemson

There was no quarterback in the country last year better at handling pressure. Klubnik led the FBS with an 80.9 PFF grade in those situations while leading Clemson to an ACC championship and a return to the College Football Playoff. He’s coming off a 3,639-yard, 36-touchdown season and expectations are even higher in 2025 for the former five-star recruit. He’s the triggerman for a Clemson team with resurgent national championship hopes. — Chris Hummer

Second team: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

RB: Jeremiyah Love | Jr. | Notre Dame

If there is a successor to Ashton Jeanty as a future first-round running back, Love is it. The junior from St. Louis was one of the breakout stars of Notre Dame’s second-half run. If he was healthy, the Irish might have been holding the trophy at the end of the year. Love posted five performances of 99 yards or better over a six-game stretch to end the year, including a gamebreaking 98-yard touchdown scamper against Indiana in the College Football Playoff. With a 6-foot, 215-pound frame and exceptional balance, quickness and a nifty penchant for hurdling defenders, Love is the complete package. — Shehan Jeyarajah

Second team: Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma

RB: Nicholas Singleton | Sr. | Penn State 

Singleton is already rewriting the record books at Penn State, and he could finish with the school’s career rushing title this season. Singleton this offseason surpassed Saquon Barkley’s freakish record in the weight room with a squat of 665 pounds, according to The Athletic’s annual Freaks List. He and Kaytron Allen form the most formidable duo in the game, and if Singleton can eclipse 1,020 yards this season, he’ll take Evan Royster’s Nittany Lions’ career rushing record. — Brandon Marcello 

Second team: Isaac Brown, Louisville 

Jeremiah Smith

OHIOST • WR • #4

Hometown: Miami Gardens, Florida | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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WR: Jeremiah Smith* | Soph. | Ohio State

There are many NFL Draft evaluators who believe that if he’d been eligible last year, Smith would’ve been one of the first receivers off the board — if not the first. Well, the NFL’s loss is Ohio State’s gain for the next two years, because the former No. 1 overall recruit was already one of the most dangerous weapons in the country during his freshman season and odds are he’ll be better in 2025. It’s not just the size and speed that separates Smith from his peers, it’s his polish. He’s already an incredible route runner. He’s a total package at the spot. — Tom Fornelli

Second team: Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (only three WRs received votes)

WR: Ryan Williams | Soph. | Alabama 

Williams garnered first-team All-SEC honors before his 18th birthday, recording 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns last season on an offense that ranked No. 104 nationally in passing attempts per game (27.2). Alabama is poised for a more dynamic passing attack in 2025 under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and starting quarterback Ty Simpson, and Williams will be among the biggest beneficiaries as a sophomore. — Grant Hughes

Second team: Elijah Sarratt, Indiana

Eli Stowers

VANDY • TE • #9

Hometown: Denton, Texas | 247Sports (transfer) rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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TE: Eli Stowers | Sr. | Vanderbilt

Just three years removed from being a reserve quarterback at Texas A&M, Stowers is now one of the nation’s top tight ends at Vanderbilt. He originally made the move to tight end at New Mexico State in 2023, then transferred to Vanderbilt along with teammates, such as quarterback Diego Pavia, and ended up leading the Commodores last season with 49 catches, 638 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. NFL scouts think he’ll go in the first few rounds of next year’s NFL Draft. — Matt Zenitz

Second team: Max Klare, Ohio State

OT: Spencer Fano | Jr. | Utah 

Fano plows the road for what I think will be one of the country’s best rushing attack. Don’t let the fact that he isn’t a blind side tackle fool you — Fano is a great player with all the tools it takes to play on Sundays. What’s more, he embodies the no-nonsense attitude that coach Kyle Whittingham has imbued into this program. At the end of the day, he’ll out-tough you on Saturdays and let the pads do the talking. — Richard Johnson

Second team: Kadyn Proctor, Alabama 

Francis Mauigoa

MIAMI • OL • #61

Hometown: ‘Ili’ili, American Samoa | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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OT: Francis Mauigoa | Jr. | Miami 

When Mario Cristobal landed a commitment from Mauigoa, a top-10 player overall and No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class, it was a statement of intent for how his Miami program would be built. Mauigoa has been a starter since Day 1, earning Freshman All-American honors two years ago and then backing it up with All-ACC recognition in 2024. The Hurricanes have had one of the top offensive lines in the country each of the last two years, and a big part of that success has been Mauigoa’s size and strength at tackle. — Chip Patterson

Second team: Isaiah World, Oregon 

OG: Ar’maj Reed-Adams | Jr. | Texas A&M

A former starter at Kansas, Reed-Adams transferred to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season and immediately emerged as one of the top interior offensive linemen in the country. He started at right guard in all 13 of Texas A&M’s games and allowed just one sack and one quarterback hit in 361 pass block snaps, according to PFF. The 6-foot-5 and 325-pound Reed-Adams also graded out as an elite run blocker while helping pave the way for the second-best rushing attack in the SEC. — Will Backus 

Second team: Cayden Green, Missouri 

OG: Olaivavega Ioane | R-Jr. | Penn State 

The running backs get all of the attention, which is deserved, but the Penn State rushing attack would not be its smash-mouth self without Ioane paving the way for those ballcarriers through the interior. Ioane moved up to a full-time starting role last season and was a true monster — albeit a perhaps unsung one from a recognition perspective — across his 16 games at the left guard spot, where he led all Nittany Lions in offensive snaps. The next great Penn State lineman got better in each of his first three years with the program and should skyrocket up mock drafts this fall. — Carter Bahns

Second team: Jaeden Roberts, Alabama

C: Jake Slaughter | R-Sr. | Florida 

Slaughter had a terrific 2024 season for the Gators, logging a team-high 728 snaps in 13 starts and earning first-team Associated Press All-American honors. The 6-foot-5, 303-pound redshirt senior was the only center last season to earn 80-plus grades as both a pass and run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s big, strong, moves well for his size, doesn’t get easily caught off guard and has earned consistent praise from his teammates for his hard work, which included voting him as team captain. He’s the anchor of a unit charged with protecting star quarterback DJ Lagway, a paramount task if the Gators are going to match their lofty preseason expectations. — John Talty

Second team: Nick Dawkins, Penn State 

Desmond Reid

PITT • RB

Rush YDS962

Rush TD 5

Rec YDS579

Rec TD4

Return TD1

Hometown: Hollywood, Florida | 247Sports (transfer) rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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All-purpose: Desmond Reid | R-Jr. | Pitt 

The former Western Carolina standout hit the ground running at the FBS level, proving to be among the most versatile individuals in the ACC. Reid was able to be a game-breaking rusher, a productive piece of Pitt’s passing game and also the team’s top punt returner in 2024. He finished fifth nationally in all-purpose yards per game (154.9) and was hitting rushing-receiving benchmarks that haven’t been seen since Christian McCaffrey’s time at Stanford. As Pitt’s offense looks to take another step in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Kade Bell, Reid is expected to remain the star. — Chip Patterson

Second team: Zachariah Branch, Georgia  

Defense 

Colin Simmons

TEXAS • LB • #1

Hometown: Duncanville, Texas | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DE: Colin Simmons | Soph. | Texas 

Simmons had a breakout freshman campaign for Texas, quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s most dynamic defensive forces en route to upsetting Jeremiah Smith to with the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award (our friends at 247Sports tabbed Smith). Simmons led the Longhorns with nine sacks — the highest total among all FBS freshmen — and ranked second on the team with 14 tackles for loss. With no sophomore slump expected, the menacing Simmons is poised to be one of the key anchors on a Texas defense that projects to be among the most formidable units in the country for 2025. — Cody Nagel

Second team: T.J. Parker, Clemson

Dylan Stewart

SC • LB • #6

Tackles23

TFL10.5

Sacks6.5

FF3

Hometown: Washington, D.C. | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DE: Dylan Stewart | Soph. | South Carolina 

Stewart has everything you want in an elite edge rusher: speed, bend and power. He flashed as a true freshman, ignored temptations to enter the transfer portal and now takes the defensive mantle for the Gamecocks this season as a future top 10 pick. Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson is the last lineman to be a Heisman finalist (2021) after helping Michigan win the Big Ten with a 14-sack effort. Stewart could have that same kind of impact for the Gamecocks. — Brad Crawford 

Second team: Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon

Peter Woods

CLEM • DT • #11

Hometown: Alabaster, Alabama | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DT: Peter Woods | Jr. | Clemson 

Defensive tackles don’t get nearly enough credit. They may not finish with the sack numbers of their brethren on the edge, but every defensive coordinator in the country will tell you nothing ruins an offense’s day like interior pressure. And that’s what Woods does for Clemson; he’s an elite run-stuffer and an excellent disruptor in the passing game as well. There isn’t a guard in the country excited to look up and see this man lined up across from him. — Tom Fornelli 

Second team: Christen Miller, Georgia 

DT: Zane Durant | Sr. | Penn State

Durant probably doesn’t get enough recognition on the national scene, but he will this season. The bull and veteran defensive tackle leads the Penn State defense in the trenches after piling up 11 TFLs in the middle last season. He garnered recognition from center (and teammate) Nick Dawkins as the best defensive tackle in college football. “I could go on for like two hours. He’s just a different cat,” Dawkins told reporters at Big Ten Media Days. Durant only picked up All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2024. That changes this year. — Brandon Marcello

Second team: Mikail Kamara, Indiana

Anthony Hill Jr.

TEXAS • LB

Tackles113

TFL16.5

Sacks8

INT1

FFFF

Hometown: Denton, Texas | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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LB: Anthony Hill | Jr. | Texas 

While the offense gets most of the headlines, Texas has been a defense-first program under coach Steve Sarkisian. In 2024, Hill proved he could be the undisputed head of the snake. The true sophomore posted an absurd 113 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks and four forced fumbles during an All-American season. Hill boasts the kind of frame and athletic gifts that makes defensive coordinators salivate — and opposing offensive coordinators tear out their hair. — Shehan Jeyarajah

Second team: Gabe Jacas, Illinois

Kyle Louis

PITT • LB • #9

Tackles101

TFL15.5

Sacks7

INT4

FF1

Hometown: East Orange, New Jersey | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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LB: Kyle Louis | R-Jr. | Pitt 

Louis broke out as a redshirt sophomore last fall, stuffing the stat sheet in gobsmacking fashion. The former three-star recruit is a film junkie with a 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame built for impact. Pittsburgh is expected to finish in the lower half of the ACC, and though the Panthers may not steal the spotlight this season, Louis will be impossible to ignore. — Grant Hughes

Second team: Whit Weeks, LSU

CJ Allen

UGA • LB • #3

Hometown: Barnesville, Georgia | 247Sports rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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LB: CJ Allen | Jr. | Georgia

Next in line in the Georgia linebacker lineage is Allen, who has lightning quickness from the second level of the Dawgs’ D and brings an absolutely thump to whoever he hits. When you collide with him, you go down. It’s as simple as that, he’s a seek-and-destroy player. He stepped in as a freshman and has not looked back. There was no sophomore slump, and now as a seasoned veteran, he’ll earn numerous accolades at the end of this season. Internally, Georgia is sky high on its linebacker room. Surprise, surprise. — Richard Johnson

Second team: Sonny Styles, Ohio State

CB: Leonard Moore | Soph. | Notre Dame 

You can’t play much better as a true freshman than Moore did a season ago. A midseason starting replacement for injured All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison, Moore held opposing passers to a 46.4 completion percentage and emerged as a household name for football junkies. Ohio State didn’t even really bother trying him in the national title game with just three targets. Now, Moore is expected to be the frontman for what’s again expected to be one of the nation’s top secondaries. — Hummer

Second team: Chandler Rivers, Duke 

Jermod McCoy

TENN • DB • #3

Hometown: Whitehouse, Texas | 247Sports (transfer) rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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CB: Jermod McCoy | Jr. | Tennessee 

McCoy was quite the transfer portal find for Tennessee. He came to Knoxville by way of Oregon State and tied for second among Power Four cornerbacks with four interceptions in his first season with the Vols. He also finished the year with nine pass breakups. He’s a sticky cover specialist with excellent athletic tools, and he’s regarded as the top cornerback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. McCoy tore his ACL in January, and while there’s no updated timetable for his return, he is expected back at some point in the first half of the 2025 season. — Will Backus 

Second team: Aveion Terrell, Clemson 

Caleb Downs

OHIOST • S • #2

Hometown: Hoschton, Georgia | 247Sports (transfer) rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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S: Caleb Downs | Jr. | Ohio State 

A Swiss Army Knife of a defender, Downs is listed as a safety, but he’s not limited to it. The Alabama transfer saw snaps at corner last year, in the slot, in the box and lined up deep as a traditional safety. He’s a defensive coordinator’s dream because you can move him around and rely on him to get the job done. Downs is also a force on special teams, returning six punts last year, including one for a touchdown against Indiana. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see him get snaps on offense this year, too. – Tom Fornelli 

Second team: Koi Perich, Minnesota

S: Dillon Thieneman | Jr. | Oregon

Oregon found an elite plug-and-play replacement in the secondary in the form of a perennial 100-tackle force. He debuted as a true freshman in 2023 with six interceptions and was just as prolific last year at disrupting the box as he was in pass coverage, leading the Big Ten in tackles for Purdue. Thieneman does a little bit of everything and does so at a high level. He would have been a household name if his production the last two years came on a more successful team than Purdue; carrying that track record with him to Eugene will put him on a bigger stage and allow him to flourish as one of the most highly regarded safeties in the nation. — Carter Bahns

Second team: KJ Bolden, Georgia

Special teams 

K: Dominic Zvada | Sr. | Michigan 

Kickers deserve attention, too. Zvada became the first in Michigan history to make seven field goals from 50-plus yards in a season — and he was perfect on those attempts, leading the FBS. The former Arkansas State transfer hit 21 of 22 field goal attempts, including all 17 from 30-plus yards. His consistent leg and clutch kicking earned him Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year honors and solidified him as a vital piece of Michigan’s special teams heading into 2025. — Cody Nagel

Second team: Peyton Woodring, Georgia 

P:  Brett Thorson | Sr. | Georgia 

One of the latest All-American caliber specialist to come out of ProKick Australia, Thorson’s 2025 has mostly been about working his way back to full health from offseason knee surgery. But Thorson’s ceiling as a punter is proven, and his ability to not only kick great distances but pin opponents inside the 20-yard line and 10-yard line complements the Bulldogs’ defensive strengths. As long as he’s back to form, Thorson will once again be playing a role in some of the biggest games of the season flipping the field for the Dawgs. — Chip Patterson

Second team: Palmer Williams, Baylor 

Barion Brown

LSU • WR • #6

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee | 247Sports (transfer) rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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RET: Barion Brown | Sr. | LSU 

Brown is an electric receiver, but nobody should overlook his value as a returner. He’s popped off five kick return touchdowns over the last three seasons, including a trio of them in 2023 for Kentucky. Brown has ranked in the top 25 nationally in kickoff return average every season of his career. With two more kickoff return touchdowns this year, Brown would tie the NCAA record for most in a career. — Chris Hummer

Second team: Keelan Marion, Miami 

Ladies and gentlemen — we did it! The last mailbag before the first game week of the 2025 season is comprised entirely of questions about the 2025 season.

It was nice working with you, House settlement, NIL clearinghouse and CFP format debates, but your services are no longer needed here.

When was the race to the national championship this wide-open? For my entire viewing life (decades), I don’t recall more than a few teams having a realistic chance at the title. This year I count 10ish? — Anonymous

On the weekly Mailbag submission form, I always ask readers to include their city. It hadn’t occurred to me that I also need to say, please include your name.

You’re absolutely right about this feeling like an unusually wide-open field — beginning right at the top of this week’s preseason AP poll. No. 1 Texas (25 first-place votes) and No. 2 Penn State (23) are separated by just five points, the tightest margin since 1998. Meanwhile, six teams earned first-place votes — those two, plus Ohio State (11), Clemson (four), Georgia (one) and Oregon (one). That’s the most since 2016, when there were seven.

I’m surprised that 2016 would be an analog because that was smack-dab in the middle of the six-year Alabama/Clemson hegemony over the sport (LSU in 2019 excluded.) Those teams had in fact played in the national title game just the year before. But Alabama’s QB situation was murky (remember Blake Barnett?) and Dabo Swinney’s dynasty was just getting started. The Tide got 33 first-place votes, the Tigers 16, and then Baker Mayfield/Oklahoma (four), Jimbo Fisher/FSU team (five), Leonard Fournette/LSU (one), Urban Meyer/Ohio State (one) and Jim Harbaugh/Michigan (one) split the rest of the votes.

My 2016 season predictions are mercifully scrubbed from the Internet (I think), but that field would have felt much stronger than this one. Alabama was still a machine and most people’s default No. 1 every year. I don’t think anyone is suggesting Steve Sarkisian’s Texas program inspires that level of confidence yet. And even I, as someone who’s been on the Penn State bandwagon since January, do so holding my nose.

In the 11-year history of the CFP, no team from outside the preseason top 6 has won the championship. And yet, my list of teams that could pull it off runs 10 deep: Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M, a dark horse that ranks fourth in Bud Elliott’s Blue-Chip Ratio (82 percent).

A few of those teams will inevitably miss the Playoff altogether, and none of them are without question marks. But talent-wise, the gap between No. 1 Texas and No. 9 LSU, if it even exists, is a fraction of what it was in 2016 between No. 1 Alabama and … No. 9 Tennessee.

The Tide beat Butch Jones’ Vols 49-10 that season. Though Tennessee did go on to become both “Champions of Life” and champions of the Music City Bowl.

Stew: With both the AP and coaches’ preseason polls now out, it’s time for my annual question. Which top-10 team is most likely to finish unranked, and which unranked team is most likely to finish in the Top 10? — Nicholas R.

Thank you, Nicholas. The preseason would not be complete until I got asked this question.

Whoever I say for the first one, their fans are going to be furious. No one believes their preseason top-10 team could possibly finish the season unranked. But according to my colleague/AP poll aficionado Ralph Russo, it happens to an average of 1.7 teams per season. That includes two of last year’s preseason top-10 teams, No. 9 Michigan (8-5) and … No. 10 Florida State (2-10).

My leading candidate this season: No. 7 Oregon. Folks are placing a whole lot of confidence in QB Dante Moore, presumably because he was a five-star recruit, despite watching him struggle mightily as a true freshman starter for UCLA in 2023. We assume he’ll be better. But what if he’s not?

I realize it’s probably not smart to bet against Dan Lanning, who’s 35-6 through three seasons. I have little doubt Tulane transfer RB Makhi Hughes will be a star. But Lanning is banking heavily on several other transfers — offensive linemen Isaiah World (Nevada) and Emmanuel Pregnon (USC) and defensive tackle Bear Alexander (USC) — who have garnered considerable hype but are no sure things.

Dante Moore will lead the Ducks from under center in his junior season. (Soobum Im / Getty Images)

As for unranked to the top 10, I looked to the Big 12 to find someone who could be this year’s Arizona State. And that someone could be Utah. After three straight double-digit win seasons (not counting 2020), Kyle Whittingham’s team slipped to 8-5 and 5-7 the past two seasons. It felt like the Utes were in purgatory forever waiting on quarterback Cam Rising to be healthy. But former New Mexico OC Jason Beck and his star QB, Devon Dampier, have the ability to completely reinvent that offense. If Morgan Scalley fields his usual reliable defense, the Utes could challenge for the Big 12 title.

No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State in Dublin is the first Week 0 game between ranked opponents since 2000. It’s also potentially significant for the Big 12 title race. Yet it doesn’t feel like there has been much national attention on that game, with previews already looking ahead to Week 1 games like Texas at Ohio State. Is there a reason that game is under-the-radar nationally? — Aaron M.

We didn’t call it Week 0 back then, but you’re bringing back some great memories of those high-profile Kickoff/Pigskin/Eddie Robinson Classics.

The last “big” Week 0 game I remember was in 2004, No. 1 USC vs. Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C., when Reggie Bush caught three touchdown passes. Those games all went kaput the next year when the NCAA went to a permanent 12-game schedule, and Week 0 did not return until Cal-Hawaii in Australia in 2016, which helps explain the long drought.

To be blunt, the reason it’s flying under the radar is because it’s not a Big Ten or SEC game. K-State and Iowa State are good programs, but they are not big national brands. Outside of Colorado, there aren’t any in the Big 12 right now. I know in my head I’ve been thinking ahead to No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State myself. But come kickoff on Aug. 23, I’d imagine most college football fans will come to the realization that, wow, there’s a really good game on today.

In fact, I could have easily seen myself picking this to be the Big 12 championship matchup, but it’s tough to see that happening when one of the two is already going to be 0-1 in league play. The loser basically has no margin for error the rest of the way, especially if the two schools end up in a tiebreaker situation.

And if you’re a CFP aspirant from the Big 12, you’d better win your conference.

So needless to say, this is not Northwestern-Nebraska. Iowa State-K-State is legit high stakes. Tune in.

I need help. Penn State hasn’t had a preseason ranking or expectations this high in over a quarter-century. How do Alabama/Georgia/Ohio State fans handle this pressure regularly?! —  Connor from Philly

It’s not the expectations they struggle with; it’s the accompanying despair when they’re not met.

I’d ask Georgia fans in particular how they managed those 40 years of letdowns between Herschel Walker and Stetson Bennett. Though I assume the answer is a lot of liquor.

Stewart, who is your SEC dark horse? What I mean by dark horse is a team that no one else is picking for the CFP? — Franklin R.

I may have given this away in the national champions answer earlier, but it’s Texas A&M. I’m sure someone is picking the Aggies to make the CFP, but they were picked to finish eighth in the SEC at conference media days last month. Not only that, 11 schools got at least one vote to win the championship, a list that included Vanderbilt and Auburn, but not Texas A&M.

THE 2025 SEC FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL 🚨

Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/bq4bxITRyp

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 18, 2025

Which seems odd, seeing as Mike Elko’s team went into the season-ending Texas game last year with a chance to clinch a spot in the championship and led the SEC in scoring (29.4 points) in conference games.

Even though it finished 8-5, A&M overachieved in Elko’s first season. I expect the Aggies to take a notable jump this season. They boast the highest returning production (71 percent) in the SEC, per ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s rankings. Marcel Reed seems to get overlooked in the SEC’s deep QB lineup, but the dual-threat sophomore has a chance to be special. He made eight starts last season and seemed to be learning on the fly. He was great against Florida, LSU and Auburn, while taking his lumps against South Carolina, Texas and in the bowl game against USC (those two interceptions).

If Reed becomes a more consistent passer, look out, because the Aggies could run it down people’s throats. Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens, a 2023 SEC All-Freshman pick who missed the entire 2024 regular season, are all back, as are four starters up front.

But any CFP prediction requires faith that Elko and DC Jay Bateman will get the defense shored up. The D-line, in particular, has a lot to prove after losing Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner, all who went in the first two rounds of the draft.

We’ll learn a lot about the Aggies when they visit Notre Dame in Week 3. It’s tough to see a CFP path if they get blown out in that one. In conference play, they visit LSU and Texas but get Florida and South Carolina at home and miss Georgia and Alabama altogether. All in all, manageable.

Just saw the headline on The Athletic, “Submit a question for Stewart Mandel’s College Football Playoff.” Congrats on purchasing the naming rights to the Playoff!  — Brad P.

Just trying to keep it out of Tony Petitti’s hands.

(No, it was a brain fart.)

What three teams have the best shot from the Group of 5 of making the Playoff? — Jim S.

Jim has become the Mailbag’s resident G5 zealot, asking a new question like this every week. I do like a good G5 question, but I have to spread the love around, Jim.

First, the obvious one: Boise State. Obviously, it will be a much different team without Ashton Jeanty, but we got a brief glimpse last year of then-true freshman Sire Gaines, Jeanty’s heir apparent, when he gained 110 yards on 12 carries — one of them a 38-yard touchdown — in the Broncos’ season-opener at Georgia Southern. He ended up redshirting following an ankle injury.

Quarterback Maddux Madsen did not get enough credit for his role on last year’s CFP team. Receiver Latrell Caples and tight end Matt Lauter were great, and there’s a lot of buzz around former Texas A&M transfer receiver Chris Marshall. The defense brings back a lot. But remember, Boise made its reputation largely off taking Oregon to the wire in Week 2, before the Ducks figured out their offensive line. This year’s equivalent is an Oct. 4 trip to what could be a highly polished Notre Dame team.

Maddux Madsen returns to the Broncos after helping last year’s team reach the CFP. (Joe Rondone  / USA Today Network)

Next up: Whoever wins the AAC will be in the mix. Despite a lot of depth-chart turnover, my best bet is Tulane. Jon Sumrall is a fantastic coach, for one, and he solidified the QB spot by landing BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff. The Green Wave’s offense won’t be as explosive as it has been the past few seasons, but the defense could be outstanding. And they get three chances to prove themselves against P4 competition with Northwestern and Duke at home and Ole Miss on the road.

Finally, James Madison intrigues me. Quarterback Alonza Barnett was impressive last season but got hurt late, and now he’s in a fight for his job with, among others, former UNLV defector Matthew Sluka. The Dukes have two good running backs in Ayo Adeyi and George Pettaway. And unlike the typical Sun Belt school that gets blown out by a couple of SEC heavyweights, JMU, which upset North Carolina last season, is at Louisville, at Liberty and home against Washington State. That’s an ideal mix for pulling off an upset or two.

And if it ends up being someone other than these three … that will not surprise me. Most G5 teams now have very little continuity from one year to the next, with all the poaching. And their own portal adds are barely known outside of the staff’s own meeting rooms. Boise State is the one notable exception. It remains a destination school. The Broncos are in the best position outside of the P4 to become a regular CFP participant.

Stewart: It seems like the season previews for many of the preseason top-15 teams casually mention something like Team X “is replacing four offensive linemen and will have a new starting quarterback” or “will have eight new defensive starters.” Given that, do you think the preseason Top 25 should be viewed as an expectation of where teams are in Week 1, where they will be by season’s end, or a mix of the two? — Adam Z.

Every voter has a different approach. When I voted in the AP poll, back in the BCS era, I treated my preseason ballot as a starting point — like pole position in a race. It was an assessment of where the teams stand going into the season based on who they lost, who they have coming back, key freshmen/transfers, etc. How would I know who’s going to get better or who’s going to get worse over the course of the season?

Ralph, a first-time voter this year after 20 years at AP overseeing the poll, is taking a similar approach. “I did not assess schedules and project wins and losses,” he writes. “… Ranking Penn State ahead of Ohio State right now doesn’t mean I’m picking Penn State to beat Ohio State on Nov. 1. I’ll deal with that when it happens.”

To be clear: I do predictions. I’m working on my ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC predicted standings right now, to run next week. You will definitely find discrepancies between that and the last Top 25 I put out in May. That’s because I only now got in the weeds on teams’ schedules. And even when I do that, I look for possible upsets, long travel, someone playing on the road on a short week, etc.

But I don’t care how scientific one gets with their preseason ballot: This exercise is increasingly pure guesswork. Not as much at the top, where the leading programs have a baseline talent level from year to year and don’t usually experience massive roster turnover. I’m talking about the next rung or two down.

Case in point: Everyone keeps asking me how Bill Belichick is going to do in Year 1 at North Carolina, and the honest answer is, nobody knows. The Tar Heels have six returning starters total. They have a transfer quarterback, South Alabama sophomore Gio Lopez, who looked good as a freshman, but against G5 competition. Almost all of UNC’s key defensive players from last season have left, but that defense ranked 72nd nationally, so it’s possible the new guys are upgrades.

Then on top of that, when you start playing out the schedule, you see the Tar Heels are playing several teams — UCF, Syracuse, Stanford, Wake Forest — that may be even bigger mysteries than they are.

It honestly would be easier just sticking to a preseason Top 25, because you don’t have to put a predicted record next to the teams’ names. But people tend to remember when your No. 5 team goes 7-5 much more so than your 13th-place team in the Big Ten going 8-4.

Hypothetically speaking, a team goes 0-10 over its first 10 games, but just happens to play teams ranked 1 through 10. Furthermore, said team loses every game by one point. In Game 11, it beats the 11th-ranked team by 21 points. Are they the 11th-strongest team in the country? Should they be ranked No. 11? Should they be ranked at all? Should they make the 12-team CFP? — Donald B.

This makes my brain hurt. But I don’t think that school would care where it’s ranked. It would be too busy trying to hire a new coach.

(Top photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota’s Softball team announced Wednesday the hiring of Stephanie Lombardo as their new Assistant Coach.

“Stephanie brings experience across professional and collegiate levels, and we’re excited to welcome her to the Gopher family,” said head coach Piper Ritter. “Her player development background, passion for teaching, and calm presence will be an incredible asset to our program.”

Lombardo joins the Gophers after serving as a development coach for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Grasshoppers currently sit atop the South Atlantic League with a 71–30 record.

Prior to her time in Greensboro, Lombardo worked as a development coach and operations assistant with the Pirates’ Single-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders. She also served as a coaching and operations assistant for the FCL Pirates in 2023.

Lombardo’s international coaching resume includes stops in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic with the Dominican Instructional League, and in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she served as an infield coach for Los Caimanes de Barranquilla.

Her coaching career began at Eastern Kentucky University as a graduate assistant, where she helped guide EKU to its first Ohio Valley Conference Championship and NCAA Regional appearance since 2004. A former standout at the University of Wisconsin, Lombardo returned to her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach.

As a player, Lombardo was a four-time Big Ten Scholar-Athlete, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2019), and a two-time NFCA Academic All-American (2018, 2019). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics and Retailing & Consumer Behavior from Wisconsin and later completed her master’s in Exercise and Sport Science at EKU.

The Gophers also announced the addition of Morgan DeBord as the program’s new Director of Operations.

“Morgan understands our program from the inside and brings a detailed, driven mindset to everything she does,” said Coach Ritter. “She’s a competitor, a leader, and we’re thrilled to bring her back to Dinkytown.”

DeBord returns to Minnesota after competing in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, where she hit .333 with four hits in 12 at-bats over nine games.

She previously played her graduate season for the Gophers in 2023, earning Second Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, CSC Academic All-District, and NFCA Great Lakes All-Region Second Team honors. She started all 53 games that season, batting .359 with 145 at-bats.

A native of Hillsboro, Ore., DeBord spent her first four collegiate seasons at Loyola Marymount, where she was a First Team All-WCC selection in 2023 and Second Team All-WCC in 2022.

Academically, DeBord was a WCC All-Academic First Team honoree in 2022 and earned Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2023. She holds a bachelor’s of science in Health and Human Sciences with a minor in Health and Society, and a master’s in Sports Management from the University of Minnesota.

Big 12 5-star Texas Tech commit shares bold national championship take originally appeared on The Sporting News

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire’s recruiting momentum continues to surge, fueled partly by the program’s robust name, image, and likeness (NIL) backing from billionaire alumnus Cody Campbell.

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That combination helped the Red Raiders land 6-foot-6, 275-pound offensive lineman Felix Ojo. The five-star prospect, ranked No. 5 overall and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2026, is Texas Tech’s first-ever top-20 pledge — by a wide margin.

ESPN reported that Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby, said the commit signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million NIL deal.

Cody Campbell is a central Texas Tech booster and co-founder of The Matador Club, the school’s central NIL collective. The group has committed over $55 million in NIL contracts for Texas Tech athletes for the 2025 season—the largest in the NCAA.

Joey McGuire has been vocal about eliminating conference bias in CFP selection, insisting that all Power Five champions deserve access and that the current system unfairly disadvantages leagues like the Big 12.

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“I think you’ve got to earn it on the field, and if you’re a conference champion, then you should be in… It’s not who the best teams are in certain conferences. It’s who the best teams are in the country. Let us do it on the field. If you win your conference, you’re in, and then find the best teams that way. I think that’s the way we should do it.” McGuire told CBS Sports.

While not as vocal as McGuire, Campbell has been credited with providing the resources and vision necessary for Texas Tech’s pursuit of Big 12 and College Football Playoff glory—positions both he and McGuire have made clear are the program’s goals.

In an interview with Red Raider Sports, Ojo praised McGuire’s vision for the program.
“I feel like Lubbock and Texas Tech is a special place, special program,” Ojo said. “What coach McGuire is building is great. In the next two to three years, we’re gonna be a national championship contender.”

For Ojo, one thing is clear. He has big expectations for his time in Lubbock.

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