CBS Sports Preseason All-America team: College football’s best and brightest entering the 2025 season

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