Cade Klubnik, Caleb Downs among early favorites for college football's top awards
Fred Biletnikoff Award: Jeremiah Smith
Few young receivers have generated as much hype as Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, who comes off a dominant freshman season. Smith led the Buckeyes with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024, finishing ahead of first-round pick Emeka Egbuka.
The No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class delivered for the Buckeyes throughout their national title run, connecting with quarterback Will Howard for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the postseason. At 6-foot-4 with excellent hands and elite route running capabilities, it's hard to keep the ball out of Smith's hands.
Jim Thorpe Award: Caleb Downs
Two years into his collegiate career, accolades are stacking up for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The preseason first-team AP All-American was an immediate standout for the Buckeyes after spending his freshman season at Alabama.
Downs was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year after finishing the season with 82 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and six pass break-ups. He was critical to the championship run, consistently locking down threats in the passing and running games. He held tight end and eventual first-round draft pick Tyler Warren to four catches for 47 yards in Ohio State's 20-13 win over Penn State and picked off Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in the CFP semifinal.
Chuck Bednarik Award: Dylan Stewart
After a breakout freshman campaign, South Carolina's Dylan Stewart is poised to lead the Gamecocks' defense in 2025.
Stewart earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team after recording 23 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pass breakup. The edge rusher who can also drop into coverage put together one of the best freshman defensive campaigns in South Carolina since Jadeveon Clowney.
Though Downs will likely make a strong case, the Bednarik Award has yet to be given to a safety in its 30 years of existence. Stewart is one of just seven sophomores on the watch list for the award.
Doak Walker Award: Jeremiyah Love
Love is widely considered the top returning running back after playing an integral role in Notre Dame's best season since 1988. The six-foot, 214-pound running back finished the season with 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns on 163 carries, averaging 70.3 yards per game, 8.5 yards per carry and at least one score in each of the first 13 games.
As Notre Dame undergoes a quarterback shift in 2025, Love could see even more opportunities to carry the offense, putting the preseason AP All-American in prime position to take home the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back.
Outland Trophy: Spencer Fano
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football. Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. earned the award in 2024, marking back-to-back Outland Trophy wins for the Longhorns after T'Vondre Sweat won in 2023.
We expect the award to stay on the offensive side of the ball in 2025 and Utah's Spencer Fano is a player to watch. He led FBS offensive tackles in 2024 with a 92.7 PFF grade, allowing just two quarterback hits and one sack through 424 pass-block attempts. Fano held his opponents to zero sacks through the last 11 games of the season.
The preseason AP All-American has shown versatility, lining up on the right and left sides, and seems a good bet to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Heisman Trophy: Cade Klubnik
The most prestigious award in college football is likely to return to the hands of a quarterback in 2025. Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik headline early Heisman conversations and possess the best odds heading into the season.
Klubnik has the experience Manning lacks, the mobility Nussmeier strives for and enough consistency in the receiving room to hit the ground running in 2025.
The Clemson quarterback comes off an impressive 2024-2025 campaign, completing 63.4% of passes for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. A dual-threat, he added 463 yards and seven touchdowns on foot. His 36 touchdowns ranked behind only Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, who were both selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
Clemson landed at No. 4 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. If Klubnik can measure up to high expectations, the Tigers could have their first Heisman winner since Trevor Lawrence.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
After delaying their NFL dreams, No. 2 Penn State's stars are chasing an elusive national title
FILE - Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws for a touchdown during the first half of the Orange Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game against Notre Dame, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) ML flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
After delaying their NFL dreams, No. 2 Penn State's stars are chasing an elusive national title
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The longer Penn State quarterback Drew Allar weighed his options, the more he thought how sweet it would be to bring a national championship to Happy Valley. After No. 2 Penn State's down-to-the-wire loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal last season, the allure of unfinished business outweighed professional prospects for the rocket-armed senior who'll lead one of college football's deepest and most experienced teams. 'I know how much better I want to be as a player and leave my mark on Penn State and obviously accomplish the thing that we came close to last year but came up short in,' Allar said. He'll be joined by 15 returning starters who won a program-best 13 games last season. Star running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and standout defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant also opted to delay their NFL careers to chase the program's first NCAA championship since 1986. Now in his 12th season, coach James Franklin understands the expectations of a fanbase weary of playing second-fiddle to Ohio State or Michigan year after year. 'We were a few points and a few drives away from playing for the National Championship and people were pissed,' Franklin said. 'That's what you sign up for when you come to Penn State, and so those expectations are always really high.' That's why Franklin signed Jim Knowles away from Ohio State after the veteran defensive coordinator helped lead the Buckeyes to last season's championship over Oregon, the team that edged Penn State in the Big Ten finale. 'When you look at all of our personnel, not just the players, but the staff and players, it's the best combination that we've had in my 12 years here,' Franklin said. 'The depth, the experience, the talent is impressive.' In the trenches The Nittany Lions are big and deep along the offensive and defensive lines. Sixth-year center Nick Dawkins will be flanked by guards Olaivavega Ioane and Drew Shelton while Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci bookend as tackles. The group combined for 60 starts, helped generate 202 rushing yards per game and mostly kept Allar upright last season. Meanwhile, Dennis-Sutton and Durant combined for 24 of the defense's 119 tackles for loss and 11 1/2 of its 44 sacks. Through the air Second-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki wants to get more receivers involved. Penn State's leading wideout caught just 46 passes a year ago while star tight end Tyler Warren accounted for 106 catches. With Warren playing on Sundays now, Kotelnicki is looking for transfers Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy) and Trebor Peña (Syracuse) to help veteran Liam Clifford on the outside. Ross caught 129 balls for 1,618 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years for the Trojans. Peña had 84 of his 109 career catches for the Orange last fall and led the team with nine touchdowns. 'It's going to be really important coming out of the first three games that we feel like we really know what we have with those three guys and how we can use them,' Franklin said. Linebacker U With star linebacker Abdul Carter now a New York Giant, all eyes will be on junior Tony Rojas to lead Linebacker U's linebacker corps early. Knowles can't wait to watch him, especially considering Rojas sat out spring practice after having shoulder surgery. Yes, he was banged up for most of his coming out season where he tied for the team lead with three interceptions, was fifth in total tackles and added a sack. 'Very impressed,' Knowles said. 'He seems to have developed physically in the offseason. He's picked things up quickly which is tough to do when you don't get the reps on field.' The schedule The Nittany Lions have home games against Nevada (Aug. 30), Florida International (Sept. 6) and Villanova (Sept. 13) to start. They're idle before hosting Oregon on Sept. 27 in a rematch of last season's Big Ten championship game. Northwestern (Oct. 11), Indiana (Nov. 8) and Nebraska (Nov. 22) all visit Beaver Stadium while trips to UCLA (Oct. 4), Iowa (Oct. 18), Ohio State (Nov. 1), Michigan State (Nov. 15) and Rutgers (Nov. 29) await. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cadillac counts down to its F1 debut with lessons from NASA and the ‘inverse Ted Lasso'
The clock is ticking until Cadillac joins the Formula 1 grid. Literally. 'On the wall of every office that we have is a countdown clock,' team principal Graeme Lowdon told The Associated Press in a recent interview. 'It's counting down to two things.' One is the first 'fire-up' of the car with its engine, and then the other is free practice at Cadillac's first official F1 session in Melbourne, Australia in March next year. It will be the start of a new mission for General Motors, and the end of a process to join F1 which included years of negotiations, a change of name and leadership, even a U.S. Justice Department investigation. Ted Lasso in F1 As a British racing boss creating an American team, Lowdon feels like an 'inverse Ted Lasso,' the fictional U.S. soccer coach in London. Hired in part for his experience navigating the sport's complex process for approving new teams, Lowdon says he's worked hard to adapt to U.S. racing culture for a team which will build its cars out of Fishers, Indiana. There's also a design and manufacturing site near the British Grand Prix track at Silverstone, but Cadillac has a vision of running an 'American team,' Lowdon said. The idea is to get as many different perspectives on designing a race car as possible. 'Formula 1 is a very creative business,' Lowdon said. 'With diversity of thought comes innovation and hopefully lap time.' Lessons from NASA Past attempts to operate an F1 team outside of the sport's heartlands in England and Italy have rarely worked. Cadillac is taking lessons from the 1960s space race. Rather than read a list of racing failures, Lowdon looked for non-F1 projects with 'immovable deadlines, huge amount of public scrutiny, multiple sites, highly technical,' he said. 'The best example I could find were the the Apollo missions.' 'I looked a lot into how NASA had done the management structure of the business. I thought there were some very clever things that they did that we could build into a new design of a Formula 1 team, a complete new way of managing it. The primary objective was to maximize peer-to-peer communication between engineers.' F1's other American team, Haas, is more reliant on Europe. Its HQ is in North Carolina but the team is largely based in Britain and designs its cars in Italy. Drivers on the short list While existing teams have their race drivers heavily involved in the design of 2026 cars, Lowdon said the fact that Cadillac hasn't confirmed who its drivers will be shouldn't be seen as a setback. There are 'three or four' names on Cadillac's shortlist halfway through the 2025 season and Lowdon says Cadillac has more leverage in contract discussions than usual. 'Because we're out of sync with the other teams, we're not under the same time pressure,' Lowdon said. 'No driver is sitting there saying, 'Oh yeah, Aston Martin are going to sign me next week,' if you don't sign them.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The new team could be a way back to F1 for drivers like Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu who lost their race seats for 2025. There's also been speculation about various Americans and ex-F1 drivers like Mick Schumacher. Bottas, a 10-time race winner for Mercedes, joked about the race to sign for Cadillac with a viral video on social media remarking on the 'nice seat' in a Cadillac SUV. 'I've known him for a long time. I know his sense of humor, I appreciate his sense of humor and he's got a big fan following,' Lowdon said. 'My phone got super busy almost immediately when (Cadillac's F1 entry) was confirmed. It was very clear that everyone wants to drive a Cadillac and so I guess Valtteri has just made it even more clear.' ___ AP auto racing:
