
USC football countdown to kickoff—Makai Lemon in focus
Position: Wide receiver
Years played at USC: 2023-Present
Career highlights: Lemon wore the No. 24 as a true freshman at USC in 2023, before switching to No. 6 last season. The number change proved to be effective, as he improved from just six receptions for 54 yards his first season to 52 for 764 last year, leading the team in both categories.
Lemon represented the Trojans at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas last month. He figured to play a major role in USC's offense once again in 2025.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
College football latest: AP Top 25 preseason rankings to be released
The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released Monday at noon EDT. A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops. See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 season. Here's what to know: 1. Who decides the rankings? The Top 25 voters are over 60 journalists covering college football at AP-member news organizations. They're urged to base their votes on head-to-head results, not reputation, preseason speculation or regional bias. 2. Which teams finished on top last season? Ohio State (14-2), after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014, secured the No. 1 spot in last season's final Top 25 poll. The Irish (14-2) finished No. 2 for their highest end-of-season ranking since 1993. Oregon (13-1) lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal and finished No. 3. 3. When does the 2025 season start? The wait is almost over — opening weekend begins Saturday, Aug. 23. Who topped last year's preseason poll? Georgia was No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 a year ago, earning 1,532 points and 46 first-place votes. Ohio State was second ahead of Oregon, Texas and Alabama. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship and Georgia wound up sixth in the final Top 25. The Big Ten and SEC rivalry goes beyond the football field. Over the offseason, the two most powerful conferences struggled to nail down a new playoff format. The Big Ten wants a 16-team format, with four guaranteed spots for both the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC and 1 at-large bid. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons. Stay tuned! Why bother with preseason rankings? There is a school of thought that preseason rankings for any sport are a waste of time; after all, how do you accurately assess teams with new players from last season that have not played a game yet? That argument has not and probably never will stop the proliferation of preseason guesswork, including media outlets with full-time journalists who provide analyses of just how good a team might be. After all, the conversation around the season isn't limited to game days. And if a preseason ranking turns out to be wildly inaccurate – as they can often be – that's part of the conversation, too. What is the AP Top 25? The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released today at 12 p.m. ET. A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops. See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 college football season.

NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
NASCAR Truck musical chairs has Corey LaJoie, Andres Perez de Lara in new rides
Corey LaJoie will drive the final eight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races of the season for Spire Motorsports, replacing Andres Perez de Lara, the team announced Monday. Perez de Lara will race the rest of the season for Niece Motorsports, the team announced Monday. The change begins with Friday's race at Richmond. Dustin Long, The 20-year-old Perez de Lara, a rookie in the Truck Series, is 17th in points. 'Overall, I'm really excited about the upcoming races with Niece Motorsports,' said Pérez de Lara in a statement from Niece Motorsports. 'Making a change mid-season always has its challenges, but the team and I are working hard to be 100% by the time Richmond comes. I'm really focusing on having a good race there and feel very motivated with how the team has treated me. I feel the team is also motivated with having me there as well.' Spire Motorsports also announced that it will shift the owners points from the team's No. 07 entry to the No. 77 entry with LaJoie as the driver. LaJoie has one Truck start this season. He finished fifth at Michigan in the No. 07 for Spire Motorsports.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
College football latest: AP Top 25 preseason rankings to be released
The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released Monday at noon EDT. A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops. See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 season. Here's what to know: Poll sets the stage for Big Ten rivalry vs. SEC After two consecutive national titles won by Big Ten teams, the SEC is hungry to get back on top. The Big Ten and SEC rivalry goes beyond the football field. Over the offseason, the two most powerful conferences struggled to nail down a new playoff format. The Big Ten wants a 16-team format, with four guaranteed spots for both the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC and 1 at-large bid. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons. Stay tuned! Why bother with preseason rankings? There is a school of thought that preseason rankings for any sport are a waste of time; after all, how do you accurately assess teams with new players from last season that have not played a game yet? That argument has not and probably never will stop the proliferation of preseason guesswork, including media outlets with full-time journalists who provide analyses of just how good a team might be. After all, the conversation around the season isn't limited to game days. And if a preseason ranking turns out to be wildly inaccurate – as they can often be – that's part of the conversation, too. What is the AP Top 25? The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released today at 12 p.m. ET. A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops. See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 college football season.