Clemson football is well-represented in ESPN’s breakdown of the 40 players most likely to shape the 2025 college football season, with star power showing up on both sides of the ball.

To no surprise, Texas holds the top spot in the SEC. The Longhorns are No. 1 in the Coaches Poll as well, and will likely land at No. 1 in the initial AP Poll whenever it's released. Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), LSU (No. 4), and Texas A&M (No. 5) round out ESPN's top five SEC teams heading into the season.

"Stockton got a taste of being the starting quarterback in the second half of last season's SEC championship game and a CFP quarterfinal and did an admirable job. If Georgia 's offensive line plays better and his receivers are more dependable, Stockton should be fine running the offense."

Though it's not really a huge surprise, several SEC teams will enter the 2025 college football season as a national title contender. However, there's one in particular that stands out from the rest - at least right now.

Greg McElroy Names No. 1 Team in Preseason College Football Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The rankings made plenty of sense, but I couldn't help but notice that the top eight coaches on the list all work for some of the richest, most well-supported programs in the country. There are some epic pressures associated with leading these programs -- just ask Day -- but there are also major advantages.