Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Jacob Rodriguez and Caleb Downs earn first-team honors and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia headlines the second team in the USA TODAY Sports All-America squads for the 2025 season.
Mendoza lands ahead of Pavia after tossing 33 touchdowns in leading Indiana to the Big Ten championship and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers place another four players on the first and second teams, including safety Louis Moore.
Ohio State’s top-ranked defense has three players on the first team in Downs, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and linebacker Arvell Reese.
Every playoff team but Tulane placed at least one player on the first or second teams. The team was selected with ballots from 25 voters across the USA TODAY Sports Network.
First team
Offense
QB: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza averaged 9.4 yards per attempt and completed 71.5% of his throws in spearheading the greatest season in program history.
RB: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
RB: Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Love scored at least once in every game but the season opener and averaged 6.9 yards per carry with 18 scores. Hardy’s 1,560 yards topped the Power Four during the regular season.
WR: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
WR: Makai Lemon, Southern California
TE: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
Smith was a little quieter than during his breakout 2024 freshman season but brings 80 receptions and 11 touchdowns into the playoff. Lemon tailed off late but still posted a Big Ten-best 1,156 receiving yards. Stowers was one of the easiest first-team picks after pulling down 62 grabs for 769 yards.
OT: Spencer Fano, Utah
OT: Carter Smith, Indiana
C: Logan Jones, Iowa
OG: Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
OG: Beau Stephens, Iowa
Iowa’s offensive line was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best unit. Pregnon was one of two transfers who helped Oregon rank second in the Big Ten with 30 rushing scores. Smith was the first Indiana player to be named Big Ten lineman of the year. Fano allowed no sacks in nearly 400 drop backs and was even better than expected.
Defense
DE: Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
DE: David Bailey, Texas Tech
DT: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
DT: Landon Robinson, Navy
Howell showed flashes in 2024 but exploded this season with an SEC-best 11½ sacks. Bailey (13½ sacks) was maybe the most transformative transfer of the year. McDonald was one of reason why the Buckeyes have given up just four rushing touchdowns. Robinson (54 tackles, 8½ for loss) was the defensive player of the year in the American.
LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
LB: Arvell Reese, Ohio State
LB: CJ Allen, Georgia
Rodriguez (117 tackles) drew Heisman Trophy hype for his dominant play for the Big 12 champions. Reese (62 tackles, 6½ sacks) draws first-team honors over teammate Sonny Styles, who lands on the second team. Allen led Georgia in tackles (85) and was a finalist for the Butkus Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
CB: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
CB: Mansoor Delane, LSU
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
S: Louis Moore, Indiana
Leonard Moore had five interceptions as the star of an aggressive and opportunistic Notre Dame secondary. Delane (11 pass breakups) gave up just 13 receptions in coverage all season. Downs is a transformative, box score-stuffing safety who might be the best player in the country. Louis Moore had six interceptions for a defense that gave up just seven touchdowns through the air.
Specialists
K: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma
P: Brett Thorson, Georgia
Returner: Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
All-Purpose: KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Sandell hit on 23 of 24 attempts, including 7 of 7 from 50 yards and beyond, and notebly came up huge in the Sooners’ biggest wins. Thorson (45.2 yards per punt) was why Georgia had just five punts returned all season. Wetjen had four combined return scores and averaged 28.3 yards per punt return. Concepcion ran for a score, had two punt returns for touchdowns and had 57 grabs for 886 yards and nine touchdowns.
Second team
Offense
QB: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
RB: Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
RB: Kewan Lacy, Mississippi
WR: Skyler Bell, Connecticut
WR: Malachi Toney, Miami
TE: Michael Trigg, Baylor
OT: Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)
OT: Kayden Proctor, Alabama
C: Jake Slaughter, Florida
OG: Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
OG: Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
Defense
DE: Reuben Bain, Miami (Fla.)
DE: Colin Simmons, Texas
DT: Peter Woods, Clemson
DT: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
LB: Sonny Styles, Ohio State
LB: Aiden Fisher, Indiana
LB: Anthony Hill, Texas
CB: Hezekiah Masses, California
CB: D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
S: Bishop Fitzgerald, Southern California
S: KJ Bolden, Georgia
Specialists
K: Kansei Matsuzawa, Hawaii
P: Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky
Returner: Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
All-purpose: Wayne Knight, James Madison
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