College Football Stock Watch: Teams Joel Klatt Is Buying, Selling Stock in for 2025

Fox Sports

7 days ago

College Football College Football Stock Watch: Teams Joel Klatt Is Buying, Selling Stock in for 2025
Published
Jul. 22, 2025 12:09 p.m. ET
share
facebook
x
reddit
link
August is right around the corner, which means college football is very close to being back. With the 2025 season inching closer, I'm entering preview mode.
In my first of many previews for the upcoming season, I want to share which teams I'm buying and selling stock in. I want to emphasize that this exercise is only focused on this season. Some of these teams I might feel good about in the long run, but they might take a step back in 2025.
The way I've put this list together is that the teams higher up are the ones I'm either buying or selling the most stock in, while it's the opposite for the teams at the bottom.
Let's get to it.
Clemson: Buy
Clemson is just really, really good, and I think the Tigers are going to have an outstanding year. They had 10 wins in 2024, sneaking into the College Football Playoff after beating SMU in the ACC Championship Game. Clemson really gave Texas all it could handle in the CFP. Dabo Swinney seems to have his confidence back.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik is one of 16 returning starters, and he's in his third year of working with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The real question for Clemson is at running back. Gideon Davidson has a chance to make a real impact as a top-five back in the 2025 recruiting class.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Tigers' defense is loaded and should be one of the best in the country. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen just had a strong year at Penn State. T.J. Parker and Peter Woods are among the top defensive linemen in the country.
Cade Klubnik returned to Clemson after helping the Tigers reach the CFP in 2024. (Photo by)
Clemson also doesn't have a difficult schedule. Its games against LSU and South Carolina are its toughest games on the schedule, as it avoids Miami (Fla.) in the conference slate. This is a team that will be in the CFP, and I wouldn't be surprised if it plays in the national championship.
Tennessee: Sell
Tennessee's averaged over 10 wins over the past three seasons, but I can see it taking a step back in 2025. I don't love the quarterback situation. Losing a QB that late in the spring isn't great, no matter how you slice it. It had to get Joey Aguilar, who UCLA initially brought in from Appalachian State this offseason before getting Nico Iamaleava.
Josh Heupel's system also puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback due to the wide receiver choice routes and constant downfield throwing. Can Aguilar handle that? He led the nation in interceptions last year (14), which is a problem. Tennessee also must replace SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson and four starters along the offensive line. Plus, its wide receiver group is young.
The defense should be fine, at least, and its schedule is reasonable by SEC standards. I'm projecting a September loss against Georgia. I think Tennessee will be 5-1 going into its October matchup against Alabama, but Tennessee's schedule gets tougher from that point on. I believe in Tennessee in the long term, but this season might be difficult.
Michigan: Buy
Think about the way Michigan ended its season — becoming one of the rare teams to feel good about winning a bowl game today. Michigan, easily, had the best final month of the season of any team in the country, getting wins over Ohio State and Alabama. Its defense was outstanding as well, holding the best scoring defense in the country over its final four games.
Something happened with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale as his first season at Michigan progressed. If the Wolverines can get any offensive contribution from Bryce Underwood or whoever at quarterback, this team should be drastically better. Remember, this was an eight-win team with an offense that couldn't throw the ball at all. In fact, the only teams it was better than at passing were the academies. That's a problem.
Bryce Underwood could be Michigan's answer at quarterback this season and the foreseeable future. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Michigan is still going to want to run the ball. Jordan Marshall's a guy they really like in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines brought in Justice Haynes from Alabama. I have questions about the offensive line, though, but the defense should be excellent again, and it might have a top-two defense in the country alongside Clemson.
In terms of its schedule, Michigan doesn't have to play Penn State, Oregon, Illinois, Indiana or Iowa. If it wins at Oklahoma in Week 2, nothing looks daunting for Michigan. I think this is a bounce-back year for Michigan.
Wisconsin: Sell
Wisconsin lost its last five games last season, going 5-7. That snapped a streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons. It has tried to change its identity under head coach Luke Fickell, which is dangerous considering the success it had for over two decades. Fickell is an outstanding coach, and I'm hoping this works out for him.
Wisconsin might be a better team from a roster standpoint this season than it was last year. I'm just not sure that it shows up in the results. This is one of the most difficult schedules in the country. It has games at Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Indiana, while also hosting Ohio State and Illinois. It could be underdogs in nine of its 12 games this season. You can say that the transfer additions and coaching changes will make Wisconsin better this season. That might be true, but you still have to be better than the teams on your schedule — and that schedule is really brutal. You can't make those changes and expect you're going to develop your way out of it with that schedule.
Utah: Buy
Last year was a rare losing season for Kyle Whittingham. Utah's 2024 campaign got absolutely wrecked by injuries, finishing 5-7. It also went 1-5 in one-score games. I've got to believe that's going to turn around.
Jason Beck was hired as offensive coordinator after holding the same role at New Mexico, bringing his quarterback, Devon Dampier, with him. From all the reports I've heard, Dampier can really run (he rushed for over 1,100 yards last year), but he does need to improve his passing. That isn't a new thing for Utah, though, and it has found success in the past without a dynamic passing game. When you have a running quarterback, you need a strong offensive line. Luckily for Utah, it is returning all five of its starting offensive linemen from last year. That includes offensive tackle Spencer Fano, who could be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Utah's defense is always fine as well. It was a top-25 defense last season despite everything that happened, and Morgan Scalley is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country. When you lay all of this out, Utah should be an eight-win, nine-win or even 10-win team. It wouldn't surprise me if it competes for a Big 12 title.
Syracuse: Sell
The Orange had a great year in 2024, with everything seemingly falling into place. Kyle McCord and Co. was terrific, holding the No. 1 passing attack in the country. Syracuse had that huge win over Miami at the end of the regular season, helping it get to 10 wins. Now, Syracuse is tasked with replacing McCord and all those players. On top of that, it has to deal with a more difficult schedule this year than it faced last year.
Fran Brown has done a great job with roster building as head coach, but it's hard to find that path for him and the Orange to replicate last season's success. He has got to replace a total of 15 starters — at quarterback, running back (I thought LeQuint Allen was one of the most underrated backs in the country), wide receivers and tight end.
Fran Brown had a strong first season at Syracuse thanks to quarterback Kyle McCord, winning the Holiday Bowl. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
As for the schedule, all six of Syracuse's games away from home are tough. It has games at Tennessee (in Atlanta), Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame. For those reasons, I think Syracuse is an easy sell for this season.
Washington: Buy
This is one that might be a bit under the radar, but I love Jedd Fisch's track record. He basically had to replace the entirety of Washington's roster last year after going 6-7 and losing the national championship in the season prior.
Washington should pop this year. I'm not sure if enough people are paying attention to what's going on in Seattle. The Huskies' quarterback, running back and wide receiver trio is up there with any other team in the Big Ten. Demond Williams showed he can be special, posting over 400 total yards and five total touchdowns in the Sun Bowl, which was his second career start. Jonah Coleman is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten, and Denzel Boston is a true No. 1 on the outside. Those three guys give you a chance. The offensive line needs to be better, but Washington brought in some players to try and fix that.
Denzel Boston was one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten in 2024. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
I love what Fisch has done defensively. Ryan Walters was brought in to be Washington's defensive coordinator, and I think he's a great defensive mind. Fisch was able to get some defensive standouts from Arizona in the portal, too.
In terms of its schedule, Washington gets three of its four toughest opponents (Ohio State, Illinois, Oregon) at home. Even with its struggles last season, Washington was able to keep its 20-game home winning streak alive last season. That's the second-longest such streak in the country, behind only Georgia. I think Washington wins at least one, if not two of those games.
BYU: Sell
This was an easy sell with everything that went on this summer with quarterback Jake Retzlaff. After getting out to a 9-0 start last season, there was some concern about how good BYU would be in 2025 due to the talent it lost defensively. Those who were bullish on BYU thought Retzlaff could help make up for those losses, but he transferred due to off-field matters.
I love BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. This isn't indicative of him. Rather, it's just terrible timing at the most important position. Its three quarterbacks on the roster have made a combined 12 starts at the college level, with zero coming at the power conference level.
North Carolina: Buy
I landed on the Tar Heels for two reasons: trust and schedule. I trust head coach Bill Belichick, and they play a really favorable schedule.
This team went under .500 a year ago, and it has a lot of transfers, so it's tough to project how this roster is going to do. I don't think Belichick cares about all the noise surrounding him and the program as of late. I think he cares about just getting his players to do their jobs. If they can do that in that conference against that schedule, no one is running away from the Tar Heels.
Bill Belichick is entering his first season as UNC's head coach, and his first season coaching college ball. (Photo by)
I think Belichick has a good chance of convincing his roster to not only do their jobs, but to also find ways not to beat themselves. His quarterback addition in the transfer portal, Gio Lopez, is a strong sign that he'll have a roster capable of doing that.
Clemson is really the only team that is clearly better than UNC on its schedule. That might be UNC's only game against a top-25 team as well, avoiding Miami, Florida State, SMU, Louisville or Georgia Tech. So, if it loses to Clemson, it still has a manageable schedule.
Cal: Sell
I wish Justin Wilcox and his team weren't on this list, but you've just got to analyze the tea leaves. I thought this team might have overachieved in 2024 despite going 6-7. Wilcox is a terrific football coach and going 6-7 at Cal is really difficult to do. Getting back to that mark became even more difficult for Wilcox and Cal this offseason. It was probably hit harder in the portal than any other team, losing Fernando Mendoza, Jaydn Ott and several other key playmakers. This team can't compete, and its roster is going to make you say, "Who are these guys?"
I know Cal's ACC schedule probably won't look daunting, but every team it plays in the conference slate will probably have better talent.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube .
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
share