2025 Walter Camp All-America Teams: It is the 136th edition of the nation’s oldest college football All-America team

 

Click here for the complete news release (pdf) 

A Little History

This is the 136^th edition of the Walter Camp All-America team, the nation’s oldest college football All-America team.  Twenty-five players were selected to the first team by the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.  In addition, 27 players were selected to the Second Team.   The team was certified by the New Haven-based accounting firm of CBIZ.

• From 1889 to 1964, eleven players were selected.
• In 1965, both offensive and defensive teams were picked.
• In 1972, the first punter (Ray Guy, Southern Mississippi) was honored.
• In 1975, the first placekicker (Chris Bahr, Penn State) was selected.
• In 1998, the first-ever Second Team All-America team was recognized.
• In 2001, the first kick returner (Herb Haygood, Michigan State) was picked.
• In 2024, the first player (Travis Hunter, Colorado) earned First Team honors on both offense and defense.

 

Conference Info

In all, 34 different schools from nine conferences (including independents) were represented on the All-America First and Second Teams (a total of 52 players selected).  Overall, the Big Ten Conference has the most honorees (18; 10 first teamers and 8 second teamers), followed by the Southeastern Conference (13; 6 first teamers and 7 second teamers).

 

School Info

Ohio State (4 first team, 2 second team) has six selections, while Indiana (2 first team, 1 second team), Notre Dame (2 first team, 1 second team) and Oregon (3 second team) each have three honorees.   Five schools – Iowa, Miami, Texas Tech, USC and Utah – have two First Team selections.

 

Good to See You Again

Three players on the 2025 Walter Camp All-America teams are repeat selections.  First Team selection Caleb Downs (Ohio State) was a First Team selection in 2024.  Fellow First Team selection Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) was a Second Team honoree in 2024.  2024 Second Team selection Spencer Fano (Utah) is a First Team honoree in 2025.

 

Player of Year

Indiana junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the 2025 Walter Camp Player of the Year.  Mendoza is the second Indiana player to be selected Player of Year, joining former Hoosier running back Anthony Thompson (1989).  Mendoza is the 24^th quarterback to earn the award.

 

Then and Now

Fifteen different schools are represented on the 2025 Walter Camp All-America First Team.  Of the 15 schools, Ohio State has the most storied tradition of placing members on the team. The Buckeyes had their first selection in 1916, running back Charles “Chic” Harley.   Since 1916, Ohio State has had 87 Walter Camp All-Americans, including four in 2025.

 Other historical selections:

Penn State – first selection 1919 – Robert Higgins, end

Notre Dame – first selection 1920 – George Gipp, running back

USC – first selection 1926 – Morton Kaer, running back

Georgia – first selection 1927 – Thomas Nash, end

Alabama – first selection 1930 – Frederick Sington, tackle

LSU – first selection 1936 – Gaynell Tinsely, end

Indiana – first selection 1937 – Corby Davis, fullback

Missouri – first selection 1939 – Paul Christman, quarterback

 

First Team Tidbits

• There are 15 different schools represented on the 2025 All-America First Team. The Big Ten has the most First Teamers (10), followed by the Southeastern Conference (6).
• Ohio State has a program-record four First Team selections. Ohio State did have three First Team All Americans six other times (most recently, 2006).
• Ohio State’s four First Team All-Americans are the most by any school since Alabama had six in 2020.
• With two First Team All-Americans (center Logan Jones; kick returner Kaden Wetjen) Iowa extended its streak to seven consecutive years with a First Team honoree – the longest current streak of any FBS school.
• Notre Dame has two First Team All-Americans for the third time in the last four seasons, and sixth time since 2015.
• Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love is the first Fighting Irish running back to be named an All-American since 1979 (Vagas Ferguson).
• Miami has two First Team selections (OL Francis Mauigoa and DL Rueben Bain) for the first time since 2004.
• Texas Tech has two First Team selections for the second time (2008).
• Utah has two First Team selections for the second time (2014).
• Cashius Howell is Texas A&M’s first defensive lineman to be named All-America since two-time honoree Myles Garrett (2015 and 2016).
• Ahmad Hardy is the first Missouri running back to earn Walter Camp First Team All-America honors.
• Georgia’s Brett Thorson is the first Bulldog All-America punter since 2009 (Drew Butler).
• Indiana has two First Team selections for the first time. Fernando Mendoza is the first Hoosier quarterback to be recognized, while Carter Smith is the first offensive lineman since 1967 (Gary Cassells) to be an All-American.

 

Class Distinction

Of the 25 First Team selections, 11 are juniors, seven are seniors, four are sophomores, while three are graduate students. On the Second Team (27 total selections), there are 10 seniors, nine juniors, five sophomores, and two graduate students. There is also one freshman (North Texas RB Caleb Hawkins).

 

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

Pos.      Name, School                                       Hgt      Wgt.    Class    Hometown

WR      Makai Lemon, USC                              5’11      195       Jr.        Los Alamitos, CA

WR      Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State #                 6’3        223       So.       Miami Gardens, FL

TE        Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt                          6’4        235       Gr.       Denton, TX

OL       Spencer Fano, Utah #                            6’6        308       Jr.        Spanish Fork, UT

OL       Kadyn Proctor, Alabama                       6’7        366       Jr.        Des Moines, IA

OL       Carter Smith, Indiana                            6’5        313       R-Jr.     Powell, OH

OL       Francis Mauigoa, Miami                        6’6        335       Jr.        Ili’ili, American Samoa

C          Logan Jones, Iowa                                 6’3        302       Gr.       Council Bluffs, IA

QB       Fernando Mendoza, Indiana                   6’5        225       R-Jr.     Miami, FL

RB       Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame                 6’0        214       Jr.        St. Louis, MO

RB       Ahmad Hardy, Missouri                        5’10      210       So.       Oma, MS

PK       Kansei Matsuzawa, Hawaii                    6’2        200       Sr.        Tokyo, Japan

 

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL       Cashius Howell, Texas A&M                 6’2        248       R-Sr.    Kansas City, MO

DL       Rueben Bain Jr., Miami                         6’3        270       Jr.        Miami, FL

DL       Kayden McDonald, Ohio State              6’3        326       Jr.        Suwanee, GA

DL       John Henry Daley, Utah                        6’4        255       R-So.    Alpine, UT

LB       Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech                 6’1        235       Sr.        Wichita Falls, TX

LB       David Bailey, Texas Tech                      6’3        250       Sr.        Irvine, CA

LB       Arvell Reese, Ohio State                       6’4        243       Jr.        Cleveland, OH

DB       Caleb Downs, Ohio State *                    6’0        205       Jr.        Hoschton, GA

DB       Leonard Moore, Notre Dame                 6’2        195       So.       Round Rock, TX

DB       Mansoor Delane, LSU                           6’0        190       Sr.        Silver Spring, MD

DB       Bishop Fitzgerald, USC                         5’11      205       R-Sr.    Woodbridge, VA

P          Brett Thorson, Georgia                          6’2        235       Sr.        Melbourne, Australia

KR       Kaden Wetjen, Iowa                              5’9        196       Gr.       Williamsburg, IA

 

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

WR      Skyler Bell, UConn                               6’0        185       R-Sr.    Bronx, NY

WR      Danny Scudero, San Jose State              5’9        174       R-So.    San Jose, CA

TE        Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon                           6’3        245       Jr.        Idaho Falls, ID

OL       Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon                  6’5        318       R-Sr.    Denver, CO

OL       Keagen Trost, Missouri                         6’4        316       Gr.       Kankakee, IL

OL       Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State                 6’4        323       R-Jr.     Graham, WA

OL       Brian Parker II, Duke                            6’5        305       R-Jr.     Cincinnati, OH

OL       Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech             6’4        330       Sr.        Royston, GA

C          Jake Slaughter, Florida                          6’4        303       R-Sr.    Sparr, FL

QB       Julian Sayin, Ohio State                        6’1        208       So.       Carlsbad, CA

RB       Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss                          5’11      210       So.       Dallas, TX

RB       Emmett Johnson, Nebraska                    5’11      200       Jr.        Minneapolis, MN

RB       Caleb Hawkins, North Texas                  6’2        200       Fr.        Shawnee, OK

PK       Tate Sandell, Oklahoma                        5’9        182       R-Jr.     Port Neches, TX

 

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL       Colin Simmons, Texas                           6’3        240       So.       Dallas, TX

DL       Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan       6’3        250       R-Sr.    New York, NY

DL       Landon Robinson, Navy                        6’0        287       Sr.        Fairlawn, Ohio

DL       Caden Curry, Ohio State                       6’3        260       Sr.        Greenwood, IN

LB       CJ Allen, Georgia                                  6’1        235       Jr.        Barnesville, GA

LB       Xavier Atkins, Auburn                          6’0        210       So.       Houston, TX

LB       Red Murdock, Buffalo                           6’1        240       Gr.       Petersburg, VA

DB       Jakari Foster, Louisiana Tech                 6’0        211       R-Sr.    Piedmont, AL

DB       Hezekiah Masses, California                  6’1        185       Sr.        Deerfield Beach, FL

DB       D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana                       5’9        173       Jr.        Miami, FL

DB       Dillon Thieneman, Oregon                    6’0        205       Jr.        Westfield, IN

P          Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky         6’1        180       R-Sr.    Mooresville, N.C.

KR       Jadarian Price, Notre Dame                   5’11      210       Jr.        Denison, TX

 

* – 2024 First Team Walter Camp All-America selection

# – 2024 Second Team Walter Camp All-America selection

 

Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880.   Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team.

 

The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.  Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.   The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients dating back to 1935.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

For the fifth time since 1967, one school earned the Walter Camp Player and Coach of Year awards.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was selected as the 2025 Walter Camp Player of Year, and head coach Curt Cignetti was named as the Coach of the Year (also won it in 2024).

One School Earns Walter Camp Player and Coach of Year in Same Season

2025 – Indiana (Fernando Mendoza, POY; Curt Cignetti, COY

2018 – Alabama (Tua Tagovailoa, POY; Nick Saban, COY)

2012 – Notre Dame (Manti Te’o, POY; Brian Kelly, COY)

2000 – Oklahoma (Josh Heupel, POY; Bob Stoops, COY)

1986 – Miami (Vinny Testaverde, POY; Jimmy Johnson, COY)

 

 

Indiana University’s Curt Cignetti has been selected as the Walter Camp 2025 Football Bowl Subdivision Coach of the Year.  It is the second straight year Cignetti has won the award – becoming the first coach in 59 years to repeat as winner.

The Walter Camp Coach of the Year is selected by the nation’s 136 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports communicators.

Other finalists for the award were Ryan Day (Ohio State) and Clark Lea (Vanderbilt).

Cignetti is the second coach from Indiana (John Pont, 1967) to earn the award.  Cignetti is the fifth coach to win multiple times, joining Joe Paterno (Penn State; 2005, 1994, 1972), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma, 2003 and 2000), Nick Saban (Alabama; 2018 and 2008) and Gary Patterson (TCU, 2014 and 2009).

Under Cignetti’s leadership, the top-ranked Hoosiers have recorded a 13-0 mark this season.  On December 6, Indiana captured its first-ever Big Ten Championship with a 13-10 victory over Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium.

As a result, the Hoosiers earned the College Football Playoff’s top seed and await the Oklahoma/Alabama winner in the CFP quarterfinals on Jan. 1 at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Indiana started off the season as the No. 20 team in the country, but a 63-10 win over then-No. 9 Illinois, a road win at Iowa, and 30-20 road win over Oregon propelled the Hoosiers into the top five.  With six straight wins after Oregon, the Hoosiers finished the season undefeated at 12-0 with the No. 2 ranking behind only Ohio State.   Led by quarterback and 2025 Walter Camp Player of Year Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers earned its first league title since 1945, and first win against the Buckeyes since 1988.

For the second straight year, Cignetti was named the Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Coach of the Year (as selected by his fellow conference coaches) and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year (by the media that covers the Big Ten).

In 2024, Indiana was picked to finish 16th in the Big Ten preseason media poll and proceeded to set a then-record with 11 wins and earned its first ever College Football Playoff berth.

Cignetti was named head football coach at Indiana University on November 30, 2023.  He previously held head coaching positions Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011-16), Elon (2017-2018) and James Madison (2019-2023).  His current career record stands at 143–37 (.794).

He was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012 (at IUP), the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2017 (at Elon) and Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2023 (at James Madison).

After graduating from West Virginia, Cignetti began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1983 under Foge Fazio. He has also coached at Davidson College, Rice University, Temple University, a return to Pitt and then stints at North Carolina State and the University of Alabama.

Cignetti and his wife, Manette, have three children, Curt Jr., Carly Ann, and Natalie Elise. Cignetti’s father, Frank Cignetti Sr., won 199 games as a head coach at West Virginia University and IUP and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Walter Camp Coach of Year Facts

• First awarded in 1967, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is the 59^th recipient of the Walter Camp Coach of Year award. He is also the first coach to repeat as the winner.
• Cignetti is the second IU coach to win the award, joining John Pont (1967).
• Cignetti becomes the fifth coach to win the award multiple times, joining Joe Paterno (Penn State; 2005, 1994, 1972), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma, 2003 and 2000), Nick Saban (Alabama; 2018 and 2008) and Gary Patterson (TCU, 2014 and 2009).
• Coaches from 40 different schools have earned the award. Six schools have had three winners – Alabama, Indiana, Penn State, Oklahoma, LSU and TCU.

Walter Camp Coaches of the Year

2025 – Curt Cignetti, Indiana

2024 – Curt Cignetti, Indiana

2023 – Kalen DeBoer, Washington

2022 – Sonny Dykes, TCU

2021 – Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

2020 – Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

2019 – Ed Orgeron, LSU

2018 – Nick Saban, Alabama

2017 – Mark Richt, Miami

2016 – Mike MacIntyre, Colorado

2015 – Dabo Swinney, Clemson

2014 – Gary Patterson, TCU

2013 – David Cutcliffe, Duke

2012 – Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

2011 – Les Miles, LSU

2010 – Chip Kelly, Oregon

2009 – Gary Patterson, TCU

2008 – Nick Saban, Alabama

2007 – Mark Mangino, Kansas

2006 – Greg Schiano, Rutgers

2005 – Joe Paterno, Penn State

2004 – Tommy Tuberville, Auburn

2003 – Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

2002 – Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

2001 – Ralph Friedgen, Maryland

2000 – Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

1999 – Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

1998 – Bill Synder, Kansas State

1997 – Lloyd Carr, Michigan

1996 – Bruce Snyder, Arizona State

1995 – Gary Barnett, Northwestern

1994 – Joe Paterno, Penn State

1993 – Terry Bowden, Auburn

1992 – Gene Stallings, Alabama

1991 – Bobby Bowden, Florida State

1990 – Bobby Ross, Georgia Tech

1989 – Bill McCartney, Colorado

1988 – Don Nehlen, West Virginia

1987 – Dick MacPherson, Syracuse

1986 – Jimmy Johnson, Miami

1985 – Fisher DeBerry, Air Force

1984 – Joe Morrison, South Carolina

1983 – Mike White, Illinois

1982 – Jerry Stovall, Louisiana State

1981 – Jackie Sherrill, Pittsburgh

1980 – Vince Dooley, Georgia

1979 – John Mackovic, Wake Forest

1978 – Warren Powers, Missouri

1977 – Lou Holtz, Arkansas

1976 – Frank R. Burns, Rutgers

1975 – Frank Kush, Arizona State

1974 – Barry Switzer, Oklahoma

1973 – Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh

1972 – Joe Paterno, Penn State

1971 – Bob Devaney, Nebraska

1970 – Bob Blackman, Dartmouth

1969 – Bo Schembechler, Michigan

1968 – Woody Hayes, Ohio State

1967 – John Pont, Indiana

 

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