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 State’s 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 AP Top 25 college football poll is back! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox every week with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here.
The Big Ten had seven players, the ACC four and the Big 12 two. Clemson’s 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.
