The college football season is complete, and award season is upon us. Every all-conference team is out, national player awards are rolling out, and the Heisman Trophy ceremony looms.

Few things illustrate how much college football has changed than this time of year, with honorees emerging from unlikely locales. A Heisman finalist from Indiana and Vanderbilt? A Texas Tech defensive player winning awards? College football is much different in 2025 than it was in 2015.

That shift is also illustrated on The Athletic’s postseason All-America teams, where the No. 1 Hoosiers had more representatives (five) than any single SEC team. But there are plenty of familiar faces, too (Ohio State leads the way with six picks), and the two conferences best represented are the ones you’d expect: the Big Ten (20 selections) and the SEC (15).

First-team offense

Pos.PlayerTeam

QB

Fernando Mendoza

RB

Ahmad Hardy

RB

Jeremiyah Love

WR

Makai Lemon

WR

Jeremiah Smith

TE

Eli Stowers

OT

Spencer Fano

OT

Carter Smith

OG

Febechi Nwaiwu

OG

Emmanuel Pregnon

C

Logan Jones

QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana: The Heisman Trophy finalist led the Hoosiers — yes, the Hoosiers — to a 13-0 record, a Big Ten championship and No. 1 ranking. He was responsible for 39 touchdowns and committed only six turnovers, the best ratio of any Power 4 quarterback. He’s second in the FBS in passing efficiency, second in yards per attempt and was one of the most accurate passers in the nation — sixth nationally in both completion percentage (71.5 percent) and lowest off-target percentage (8.9 percent), per Pro Football Focus.

RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame: Love, also a Heisman finalist, was one of the most explosive backs in the country. His 6.9 yards per rush is tied for first in the FBS among running backs with at least 150 carries, and he averaged 4.5 yards per rush after first contact (fourth nationally among the same group of backs, per TruMedia). His 1,372 yards were fourth-most, and that’s with sharing carries with Jadarian Price (who had 113 attempts).

RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri: The Louisiana-Monroe transfer proved terrific in his move to the SEC, leading the FBS with 130 rushing yards per game and finishing second in total rushing yards (1,560). Hardy was hard to bring down — his 4.59 yards per rush after first contact was the best among backs with at least 150 carries. And he was clutch, converting 78.3 percent of his third-down carries for first downs, the second-best rate in the Power 4.

WR Makai Lemon, USC: Lemon was one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country, finishing with 1,156 receiving yards and averaging 96.3 receiving yards per game, both tops among Power 4 receivers. He was also a special teams asset as a returner, and his 1,375 all-purpose yards were third among FBS receivers.

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State: Smith’s season — 80 catches, 1,086 yards, 11 touchdowns — is impressive on its own, but even more so when considering how much attention he drew from opposing defenders and defensive coordinators. He was targeted just 99 times — fewer than all but four of the receivers who finished in the top 15 in receiving yards — and his 80.9 percent catch rate was second-best among receivers with at least 70 targets, per TruMedia.

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt: Stowers was a trusted target for quarterback Diego Pavia, leading the team with 62 receptions and 769 yards. He was the most targeted tight end in the country, and 64.5 percent of his catches went for first downs or touchdowns, the fourth-highest rate among tight ends with at least 50 targets.

Eli Stowers leads all tight ends nationally with 769 receiving yards. (Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)

OT Spencer Fano, Utah: The Outland Trophy finalist has been a mainstay at right tackle for the Utes, starting 30 straight games and 36 of the last 37. In 382 pass-blocking snaps, Fano has allowed no sacks and only five quarterback pressures, second-lowest total among starting tackles with at least 479 offensive snaps, per PFF.

OT Carter Smith, Indiana: Smith, the Hoosiers’ three-year starter at left tackle, has been an elite protector of Mendoza this year. In 399 pass-blocking snaps, Smith has allowed no sacks and only six pressures, tied for sixth-fewest among FBS tackles.

OG Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon: The USC transfer was an impact addition to Oregon’s O-line and excelled as the Ducks’ starting left guard this year. Pregnon allowed just three pressures and no sacks in 351 pass-blocking snaps and drew just one penalty flag in 701 total offensive snaps.

OG Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma: The interior lineman spent most of the last two seasons at right guard, but also played one game each at left guard and center this season. Nwaiwu was good wherever O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh put him, allowing only two pressures and no sacks in 453 pass-blocking snaps, and he drew only one penalty in 769 offensive snaps this season.

C Logan Jones, Iowa: The four-year starting center continues a strong tradition of elite linemen for the Hawkeyes, and he could become the second Iowa center to win the Outland Trophy in the last five years, joining Tyler Lindenbaum (2021). This season, Jones has allowed just three pressures in 310 pass-blocking snaps and didn’t get penalized once. Iowa has rushed for 200-plus yards five times this season with Jones anchoring the middle.

First-team defense

Pos.Player Team

DE

David Bailey

DE

Cashius Howell

DT

Lee Hunter

DT

Kayden McDonald

LB

CJ Allen

LB

Arvell Reese

LB

Jacob Rodriguez

CB

Mansoor Delane

CB

Leonard Moore

S

Caleb Downs

S

Dillon Thieneman

DE David Bailey, Texas Tech: The Stanford transfer was one of the biggest impact additions to any team this year. Bailey led all FBS edge rushers with 74 pressures, per PFF, the same total that former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson had when he was a Heisman finalist in 2021. Bailey ranked second nationally with 13.5 sacks and third with 17.5 tackles for loss.

DE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M: Howell, a Bednarik Award finalist, broke out upon stepping into a larger role on the Aggies’ defense in 2025. Howell led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and had a team-high 14 tackles for loss. Against Power 4 competition, he had an individual pressure rate of 15.2 percent, third-highest among pass rushers with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, per PFF.

DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech: Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez and Romello Height received much of the praise for Texas Tech’s defensive dominance, but Hunter was the cog in the middle of it all. The UCF transfer was a huge part — literally, at 6-foot-4, 330 pounds — of the Red Raiders’ No. 1 rushing defense, compiling 8.5 tackles for loss and 25 pressures while often eating up double-teams to free up Bailey and Height for one-on-one matchups.

DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State: The Outland Trophy finalist was one of the most active defensive tackles in the country this season. His 57 tackles are second-most among Power 4 defensive linemen, and he recorded a tackle on 21.2 percent of his 387 defensive snaps, the third-highest rate among that group. He added eight tackles for loss and three sacks and helped power the sixth-best rushing defense in the FBS.

LB CJ Allen, Georgia: Allen, a Butkus Award finalist, is versatile, rangy, physical and a leader for the Georgia defense. He was terrific as a run stopper (his 64 tackles on run plays are second-most in the SEC), got into the backfield often (team-high eight tackles for loss), rushed the passer well (13 pressures on just 72 pass-rushing snaps) and showed great instincts and ability to pursue ball carriers sideline-to-sideline.

CJ Allen has been the best player on a Georgia defense that has allowed 10 points or fewer in four straight games. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images)

LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State: Reese checks about every box you want in a linebacker: size (6-4, 240), speed, power, coverage ability, stopping the run; whatever Ohio State asked him to do, Reese did it and did it well. The Butkus Award finalist finished with 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 25 pressures on only 112 pass-rushing snaps.

LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: Some believed Rodriguez, the Butkus Award winner, should have earned a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist, and his pure production certainly made a strong case. In addition to a team-high 117 tackles, Rodriguez often found himself around the ball. He had 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, six pass breakups and showed a knack for making big plays in critical situations.

CB Mansoor Delane, LSU: The Virginia Tech transfer and Thorpe Award finalist played at an elite level for the Tigers. Delane’s forced incompletion percentage (31) was the second highest in the FBS, and he had nearly as many forced incompletions (11) as he allowed receptions (13) all season, per PFF. He also wasn’t flagged for a penalty in 357 coverage snaps and had two interceptions.

CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame: Moore, also a Thorpe Award finalist, wasn’t tested a ton but is tied for third in the FBS with five interceptions and added 12 passes defended (tied for 23rd in the FBS) while appearing in just 10 games this year. He allowed only 7.7 yards per reception, second-fewest among Power 4 cornerbacks, and his 21 percent forced incompletion rate and 45.9 opposing NFL passer rating when targeted are both top 10 among Power 4 corners, according to PFF.

S Caleb Downs, Ohio State: Downs, a finalist for both the Bednarik and Nagurski awards, continued to excel in the Buckeyes secondary thanks to his instincts, athletic ability and versatility. In addition to his 60 tackles, he had no problem playing in the box, racking up five tackles for loss and one sack. In coverage, he allowed only 6.3 yards per reception, sixth-best among FBS safeties, and he added two interceptions.

S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: Thieneman’s signature moment this year was the game-sealing interception to lift the Ducks to a win at Penn State in September, but he was much more than that single highlight. He’s one of the soundest tacklers out there (second on the team with 67 tackles, and his 3.2 percent missed tackle rate on pass plays was fifth-lowest among Power 4 safeties), and he had a 17 percent forced incompletion rate in coverage.

First-team specialists

Pos.PlayerTeam

K

Tate Sandell

P

Brett Thorson

AP

KC Concepcion

K Tate Sandell, Oklahoma: No kicker was better from long distance this season than Sandell. The Lou Groza Award finalist went 7-for-7 on field goal attempts of 50 or more yards, best in the FBS. He also made the most field goals from 40-49 yards, going 15-for-16 in that range. He went 23-for-24 overall on field goals, and his 95.8 percent accuracy rate was second-best in the FBS, impressive considering his average field goal attempt distance (41.8 yards) was fourth-longest in the country.

P Brett Thorson, Georgia: Thorson, a Ray Guy Award finalist, was exceptional at pinning opponents and preventing returns. Opponents’ starting field position averaged inside their own 21-yard line after Thorson’s punts, which was fourth-best in the FBS. Opposing teams returned only 9.5 percent of his punts (third-lowest rate among punters with at least 25 attempts). He had 10 punts inside the 10-yard line (third-best among Power 4 punters). He was in the top 10 in the FBS in rate of punts inside the 10 (23.8 percent) and net punting (42.8 yards).

AP KC Concepcion, Texas A&M: The NC State transfer was one of the most impactful offensive additions of the year, not only revitalizing the A&M passing attack with his elite play at receiver but also excelling as a returner, too. He led the Aggies with 57 catches, 886 yards and nine touchdowns and returned two punts for touchdowns and had the second-most punt return yards in the FBS (460). He also had the second-most all-purpose yards (1,409) among Power 4 players with at least 10 returns on special teams.

Second team

Pos.

  

Player

  

Team

  

QB

Diego Pavia

RB

Emmett Johnson

RB

Kewan Lacy

WR

Skyler Bell

WR

Malachi Toney

TE

Michael Trigg

OT

Francis Mauigoa

OT

Trey Zuhn

OG

Vega Ioane

OG

Beau Stephens

C

Jake Slaughter

DE

Rueben Bain

DE

Caden Curry

DT

Santana Hopper

DT

Tyrique Tucker

LB

Aiden Fisher

LB

Anthony Hill Jr.

LB

Sonny Styles

CB

Devon Marshall

CB

D’Angelo Ponds

S

KJ Bolden

S

Bishop Fitzgerald

K

Kansei Matsuzawa

P

Palmer Williams

AP

Kaden Wetjen