B/R's 2025 College Football All-American Teams
With the 2025 college football regular season done, it's time to name our Bleacher Report All-Americans.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez were three of college football's most prominent performers in 2025, and all three were unanimous selections to the B/R All-American team.
Who joined them?
The B/R college football writing team—David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard—each had a chance to submit a ballot for their 2025 All-American selections.
The results are based on plurality voting.
Note: All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Quarterback
1 of 10
QB: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (4 votes)
The presumptive Heisman Trophy winner following Indiana's victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Fernando Mendoza has been the nation's most impactful transfer after joining the Hoosiers following two years at the University of California.
He led all FBS quarterbacks with 33 touchdown passes, which also surpassed the 29 thrown by Kurtis Rourke last year for the single-season record at Indiana, and he completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 2,980 yards while also adding six rushing touchdowns.
A reliable running game and a terrific defense deserve plenty of credit for Indiana's undefeated regular season, but Mendoza was the nation's top quarterback and the single biggest reason for his team's unprecedented level of success.
Running Backs
2 of 10
RB: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (4 votes)
RB: Ahmad Hardy, Missouri (3 votes)
With 1,372 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns, Jeremiyah Love finished third in the nation in yards from scrimmage and set Notre Dame's single-season touchdown record, surpassing the 20 tallied by Jerome Bettis in 1991.
His role as the go-to option for a 10-2 Fighting Irish squad was enough to earn him a place among the four Heisman Trophy finalists, and he more than lived up to the expectations set by last year's 1,125-yards, 17-touchdown performance on the ground.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Hardy seamlessly handled a step up in competition after leading the Sun Belt in rushing yards (1,351) and rushing touchdowns (13) as a freshman at Louisiana-Monroe. He transferred to Missouri and finished second in the nation and first in the SEC with 1,560 rushing yards while racking up 16 touchdowns.
Wide Receivers and Tight End
3 of 10
WR: Makai Lemon, USC (4 votes)
WR: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (4 votes)
WR: Skyler Bell, UConn (4 votes)
TE: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (4 votes)
After leading USC with a modest 52 receptions and 764 receiving yards in 2024, Makai Lemon emerged as one of the nation's best wideouts and the go-to target for Jayden Maiava, tallying 79 catches for a Big Ten-leading 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.
While he was a bit less explosive down field with his yards per catch dipping from 17.3 to 13.6, Jeremiah Smith still followed up his elite freshman season with another standout performance, hauling in 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns while sharing targets with Carnell Tate.
A breakout season from quarterback Joe Fagnano under center at UConn was propped up by a fantastic performance from Skyler Bell, who finished second in the nation in receptions (101) and receiving yards (1,278) while hauling in 13 touchdowns.
Tight end Eli Stowers led Vanderbilt in receptions (62) and receiving yards (769), giving him the edge over Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq for top honors at the position.
Offensive Linemen
4 of 10
OT: Carter Smith, Indiana (4 votes)
OT: Spencer Fano, Utah (4 votes)
OG: Beau Stephens, Iowa (3 votes)
OG: Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon (3 votes)
C: Logan Jones, Iowa (4 votes)
Offensive tackles Carter Smith (0 sacks, 6 pressures) and Spencer Fano (0 sacks, 5 pressures) both did a fantastic job keeping their quarterback upright this season while also setting the edge for two of the better rushing attacks in college football.
Center Logan Jones (1 sack, 3 pressures) joined them as a unanimous selection, and the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy finalist has started 50 games over the past five years while anchoring Iowa's offensive line.
Rounding out the line, Beau Stephens (0 sacks, 3 pressures) and Emmanuel Pregnon (0 sacks, 3 pressures) were two of the highest-graded offensive guards in both run blocking and pass blocking, and they got the nod over Febechi Nwaiwu (Oklahoma) and Shadre Hurst (Tulane).
Note: Offensive-line stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Defensive Linemen
5 of 10
DE: David Bailey, Texas Tech (4 votes)
DE: Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (2 votes)
DT: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State (3 votes)
DT: A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech (3 votes)
Edge-rusher David Bailey (43 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks) and A.J. Holmes Jr. (35 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) were part of Texas Tech's impressive offseason haul in the transfer portal, and they did a fantastic job controlling the game in the trenches.
Rueben Bain Jr. (37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) did not have the gaudy counting numbers of some of the other edge-rushers in the All-American conversation, but he led the nation with 48 quarterback hurries while adding an interception and a forced fumble.
Imposing 6'3", 326-pound Kayden McDonald (57 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks) occupied multiple blockers up front to make the entire Ohio State defense better, and he added two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to his stat line.
Linebackers
6 of 10
LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (4 votes)
LB: C.J. Allen, Georgia (4 votes)
LB: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (2 votes)
Texas Tech star Jacob Rodriguez already has the Nagurski Trophy on his mantle, and he isn't likely to be finished adding postseason accolades after arguably the most impactful defensive season of any player in the nation.
He had 117 tackles, including a Big 12-leading 61 solo tackles, to go along with 11 tackles for loss, one sack, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions and six pass deflections. He even added a pair of receiving touchdowns for good measure.
C.J. Allen had 85 tackles, 40 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, nine hurries, four pass deflections and two forced fumbles in the middle of the Georgia defense.
Following a 16.5-sack season a year ago, Anthony Hill Jr. was more of a focal point for opposing game plans, but he still finished with 69 tackles, 37 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles in 10 games.
Defensive Backs
7 of 10
CB: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame (4 votes)
CB: Mansoor Delane, LSU (4 votes)
CB: Chris Johnson, San Diego State (2 votes)
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (4 votes)
S: Bishop Fitzgerald, USC (4 votes)
After a terrific true freshman season, Leonard Moore racked up five interceptions, seven pass deflections, one forced fumble and a touchdown to establish himself as the best cornerback in the country. He allowed 26 catches on 48 targets, but he surrendered just 7.7 yards per catch.
Mansoor Delane was not even a top 100 player in the transfer portal last offseason, checking in at No. 111 on the 247Sports list while making the jump from Virginia Tech to LSU. He led the SEC with 11 pass deflections, came away with a pair of interceptions and allowed just 13 receptions on 35 targets.
Alongside those two unanimous selections, Chris Johnson rounds out the cornerback trio after logging the best coverage grade of any qualified cornerback at Pro Football Focus. He tallied 36 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions, nine pass deflections and two touchdowns.
An All-American a year ago after making the move from Alabama to Ohio State, Caleb Downs followed that up with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, and he should be the first defensive back off the board in the 2026 draft as an elite all-around safety.
Rounding out the secondary, Bishop Fitzgerald had 34 solo tackles, five interceptions and three pass deflections as the star of the USC secondary after transferring from NC State during the offseason.
Specialists
8 of 10
K: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma (4 votes)
P: Oscar Bird, Ole Miss (2 votes)
KR/PR: Kaden Wetjen, Iowa (4 votes)
Tate Sandell is 23-of-24 on field-goal attempts and 32-of-32 on extra points, and he leads the nation with seven field goals beyond 50 yards with zero misses from that distance.
A 43.8 yard net average, 12 punts inside the 20-yard line and just 48 return yards allowed earned Oscar Bird the nod at punter over Brett Thorson (Georgia) and Evan Crenshaw (Troy).
Kaden Wetjen won the Jet Award as the nation's top returner a year ago, and his encore performance this season saw him average 30.5 yards on 14 kickoff returns with a touchdown, to go along with a staggering 28.3-yard average and three touchdowns on 19 punt returns. He has six return touchdowns over the last two seasons.
B/R's 2025 CFB All-American Team
9 of 10
Offense
QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
WR Makai Lemon, USC
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
WR Skyler Bell, UConn
TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
OT Carter Smith, Indiana
OT Spencer Fano, Utah
OG Beau Stephens, Iowa
OG Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
C Logan Jones, Iowa
Defense
DE David Bailey, Texas Tech
DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
DT A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech
LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
LB C.J. Allen, Georgia
LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
S Bishop Fitzgerald, USC
Specialists
K Tate Sandell, Oklahoma
P Oscar Bird, Ole Miss
KR/PR Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
Full Voting Results
10 of 10
Offense
QB: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (4)
RB: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (4); Ahmad Hardy, Missouri (3); Caleb Hawkins, North Texas (1)
WR: Makai Lemon, USC (4); Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (4); Skyler Bell, UConn (4)
TE: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (4)
OT: Carter Smith, Indiana (4); Spencer Fano, Utah (4)
OG: Beau Stephens, Iowa (3); Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon (3), Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma (1); Shadre Hurst, Tulane (1)
C: Logan Jones, Iowa (4)
Defense
DE: David Bailey, Texas Tech (4); Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (2); Cashius Howell, Texas A&M (2)
DT: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State (3); A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech (3); Landon Robinson, Navy (2)
LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (4); C.J. Allen, Georgia (4); Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (2); Arvell Reese, Ohio State (1); Sonny Styles, Ohio State (1)
CB: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame (4); Mansoor Delane, LSU (4); Chris Johnson, San Diego State (2); Louis Moore, Indiana (1); Treydan Stukes, Arizona (1)
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (4); Bishop Fitzgerald, USC (4)
Specialists
K: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma (4)
P: Oscar Bird, Ole Miss (2); Evan Crenshaw, Troy (1); Brett Thorson, Georgia (1)
KR/PR: Kaden Wetjen, Iowa (4)
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