No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Penn St each
place 3 players on Associated Press preseason All-America first team
[August 19, 2025]
By ERIC OLSON
Texas and Penn State, the top two teams in The Associated Press
preseason Top 25, each had three players selected for the preseason
AP All-America team announced Monday.
No. 1 Texas had one player from each level of its defense on the
first team: edge rusher Colin Simmons, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
and safety Michael Taaffe. No. 2 Penn States picks were running
back Nicholas Singleton, offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane and
defensive lineman Zane Durant.
No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 8 Alabama and
Pittsburgh each had two players on the first team.
The Southeastern Conference had 12 players on the 27-man first team
determined by media members on the AP Top 25 voting panel.
The Big Ten had seven players, the ACC four and the Big 12 two.
Clemsons Cade Klubnik was the overwhelming preseason choice for
first-team quarterback after throwing for 3,639 yards with 39
touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Florida center Jake Slaughter are
returning first-team AP All-Americans.
Downs, whose late interception against Texas helped wrap up a
College Football Playoff semifinal win for defending champion Ohio
State, starred as a freshman at Alabama two years ago and
established himself as the nation's top safety in his first season
with the Buckeyes. He's a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NFL
draft.
Downs was joined on the preseason-All-America first team by Buckeyes
receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Slaughter, a leading candidate for the Rimington Trophy as the
nation's top center, played 800 snaps in his breakout season for the
Gators. He allowed just one sack and was among the highest-rated run
and pass blockers in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.
The AP All-America team for this season will be released in
December. It will mark the 100th anniversary of the first team
published in 1925.
First team offense
Quarterback Cade Klubnik, fourth year, Clemson.
Running backs Jeremiyah Love, third year, Notre Dame; Nicholas
Singleton, fourth year, Penn State.
Tackles Spencer Fano, fourth year, Utah; Kadyn Proctor, third
year, Alabama.
Guards Olaivavega Ioane, fourth year, Penn State; Armaj
Reed-Adams, sixth year, Texas A&M.
Center Jake Slaughter, fifth year, Florida.
Tight end Eli Stowers, fifth year, Vanderbilt.
Wide receivers Jeremiah Smith, second year, Ohio State; Ryan
Williams, second year, Alabama; Jordyn Tyson, fourth year, Arizona
State.
All-purpose player Desmond Reid, fourth year, Pittsburgh.
Kicker Dominic Zvada, fourth year, Michigan.
[to top of second column] |
Florida center Jake Slaughter (66) gets set during an NCAA college
football game against Kentucky, Saturday, Oct. 19 2024, in
Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)
First team defense
Edge Dylan Stewart, second year, South Carolina; Colin Simmons,
second year, Texas.
Tackles Peter Woods, third year, Clemson; Zane Durant, fourth
year, Penn State.
Linebackers Anthony Hill Jr., third year, Texas; Whit Weeks, fifth
year, LSU; Kyle Louis, fourth year, Pittsburgh.
Cornerbacks Leonard Moore, second year, Notre Dame; Jermod McCoy,
third year, Tennessee.
Safeties Caleb Downs, third year, Ohio State; Dillon Thieneman,
third year, Oregon.
Defensive back Michael Taaffe, fifth year, Texas.
Punter Brett Thorson, fourth year, Georgia.
Second team offense
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, fifth year, LSU.
Running backs Makhi Hughes, fourth year, Oregon; Isaac Brown,
second year, Louisville.
Tackles Francis Mauigoa, third year, Miami; Blake Miller, fourth
year, Clemson.
Guards Cayden Green, third year, Missouri; Keylan Rutledge, fourth
year, Georgia Tech.
Center Parker Brailsford, fourth year, Alabama.
Tight end Max Klare, fourth year, Ohio State.
Wide receivers Antonio Williams, fourth year, Clemson; Elijah
Sarratt, fourth year, Indiana; Cam Coleman, second year, Auburn.
All-purpose player Kaytron Allen, fourth year, Penn State.
Kicker Peyton Woodring, third year, Georgia.
Second team defense
Edge T.J. Parker, third year, Clemson; Matayo Uiagalelei, third
year, Oregon.
Tackles Tim Keenan III, fifth year, Alabama; Christen Miller,
fourth year, Georgia.
Linebackers Taurean York, third year, Texas A&M; Harold Perkins
Jr., fourth year, LSU; Aiden Fisher, fourth year, Indiana.
Cornerbacks Chandler Rivers, fourth year, Duke; DAngelo Ponds,
third year, Indiana.
Safeties Koi Perich, second year, Minnesota; KJ Bolden, second
year, Georgia.
Defensive back Jalon Kilgore, third year, South Carolina.
Punter Ryan Eckley, fourth year, Michigan State.
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