2025 post-spring Way-Too-Early Top 25: Where do Texas and Notre Dame rank?
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Mark Schlabach
With spring practice in the books and the transfer portal closed (although it’s never completely shut with players still signing with new schools), the college football calendar is finally slowing down — for a few weeks at least.
It’s a good time for the second edition of the 2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25, which has about as much turnover as Clemson‘s roster and not nearly as much as Texas Tech‘s since the first rankings on Jan. 20.
There’s a new No. 1 with Penn State jumping from No. 3 after defending College Football Playoff national champion Ohio State lost a boatload of players to the NFL draft, along with both of its coordinators.
The Nittany Lions are followed by Clemson, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State.
Tennessee fell out of the rankings after losing quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the portal. The Volunteers were No. 19 in the initial rankings. Boise State, previously No. 24, is also no longer ranked.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma, which have been quite busy in the transfer portal, check in at No. 16 and No. 25, respectively.
Here’s the second version of the 2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25:
2024 record: 13-3, 8-1 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 3
Key returning players: QB Drew Allar, RB Kaytron Allen, RB Nicholas Singleton, C Nick Dawkins, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, S Zakee Wheatley, CB A.J. Harris
Key transfer portal additions: WR Trebor Pena (Syracuse), WR Devonte Ross (Troy), WR Kyron Hudson (USC), S King Mack (Alabama), DE Owen Wafle (Michigan), DE Enai White (Texas A&M)
2025 outlook: After finally turning the corner under coach James Franklin in 2024, the Nittany Lions look loaded for bear this coming season. With Allar, Allen and Singleton returning, Penn State should have one of the most balanced offenses in the FBS, especially if Allar takes the next step as a downfield passer. Adding Pena, Ross and Hudson was critical; Penn State’s receivers didn’t have a reception in a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in a CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Pena, a slot receiver, had 84 catches for 941 yards with nine scores in 2024.
Ross was one of the top receivers in the portal after hauling in 76 passes for 1,043 yards with 11 scores last season. Penn State’s most important offseason addition might be new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who helped guide Ohio State to a CFP national title last season. He’s the highest-paid coordinator in the FBS at $3.1 million per season.
2024 record: 10-4, 7-1 ACC
Previous ranking: 7
Key returning players: QB Cade Klubnik, WR Antonio Williams, WR Bryant Wesco Jr., LB Sammy Brown, LB Wade Woodaz, DL T.J. Parker, DL Peter Woods, OT Blake Miller
Key transfer portal additions: DE Will Heldt (Purdue), LB Jeremiah Alexander (Alabama), WR Tristan Smith (Southeast Missouri State)
2025 outlook: Much like Penn State, Clemson’s offense is stacked with a talented quarterback, deep receiver corps and an experienced offensive line coming back. The Tigers don’t have a two-player attack at tailback and that remains their biggest concern after spring practice. Last year’s leading rusher, Phil Mafah, departed for the NFL, and top backup Jay Haynes tore an ACL in the ACC championship game.
Converted wide receiver Adam Randall, and freshmen David Eziomume and Gideon Davidson might all get significant carries. Davidson was the No. 3 running back in the Class of 2025, according to ESPN Recruiting. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney also made a big move to shore up his defense, which ranked next to last in the ACC in stopping the run in 2024 (160.6 yards), luring defensive coordinator Tom Allen away from Penn State. Heldt, who had five sacks at Purdue last season, is another important player on the best defensive line in the FBS.
2024 record: 13-3, 7-1 SEC
Previous ranking: 2
Key returning players: QB Arch Manning, RB Quintrevion Wisner, LB Anthony Hill Jr., DE Colin Simmons, DE Trey Moore, S Michael Taaffe
Key transfer portal additions: DL Maraad Watson (Syracuse), DL Travis Shaw (North Carolina), DL Cole Brevard (Purdue), DL Lavon Johnson (Maryland), P Jack Bouwmeester (Utah), TE Jack Endries (Cal), WR Emmett Mosley V (Stanford)
2025 outlook: After waiting patiently for two years, the highly anticipated Arch Manning era is off and running in Austin. Though Manning had limited action against SEC teams, he looks more than ready to take over for departed starter Quinn Ewers. The Longhorns will have to replace four starting offensive linemen; Trevor Goosby was working at left tackle and Cole Hutson moved to center in the spring. Right guard DJ Campbell also had a great spring.
Texas’ top three pass catchers from 2024 (Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm and Isaiah Bond) are also gone. There are still good options in Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Mosley, who caught 48 passes for 525 yards with six scores as a Stanford freshman in 2024. Moore and Wingo were limited in the spring because of injuries. Hill and Simmons are the leaders on defense, along with safeties Taafe and Jelani McDonald. Texas brought in five defensive line transfers, including Watson, a freshman All-American at Syracuse last season.
2024 record: 11-3, 6-2 SEC
Previous ranking: 5
Key returning players: QB Gunner Stockton, TE Oscar Delp, TE Lawson Luckie, LB CJ Allen, LB Raylen Wilson, S KJ Bolden, CB Daylen Everette
Key transfer portal additions: RB Josh McCray (Illinois), LB Elo Modozie (Army), WR Noah Thomas (Texas A&M), WR Zachariah Branch (USC), S Jaden Harris (Miami), S Adrian Maddox (UAB), DL Josh Horton (Miami)
2025 outlook: Thanks to the additions of Thomas and Branch from the transfer portal, Georgia’s receiver corps, which was a problem area in 2024, might actually be a strength in 2025. Stockton, who took over in last season’s SEC championship game and CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, had a good spring and should win the starting job. McCray led the Illini with 609 rushing yards and 10 scores last season; his physical running style will complement Frazier.
Coach Kirby Smart made Modozie a priority in the spring portal window after the Bulldogs lost NFL first-round picks Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams. Modozie had 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss for the Black Knights in 2024. Freshman Elijah Griffin, the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300, made a great impression in spring practice and should contribute immediately.
2024 record: 14-2, 7-2 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 1
Key returning players: WR Jeremiah Smith, WR Carnell Tate, WR Brandon Inniss, S Caleb Downs, CB Davison Igbinosun, CB Jermaine Mathews Jr., LB Arvell Reese, C Carson Hinzman, G Luke Montgomery
Key transfer portal additions: TE Max Klare (Purdue), G Phillip Daniels (Minnesota), OT Ethan Onianwa (Rice), DE Beau Atkinson (North Carolina), OT Justin Terry (West Virginia)
2025 outlook: The Buckeyes won’t have an easy time replacing the players from the senior class and both coordinators who helped lead them to their third national championship since 2002. Starting quarterback Will Howard and running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were among the key losses. Freshman Julian Sayin and sophomore Lincoln Kienholz were locked in for a pretty good battle for starting quarterback in the spring, although it still seems to be Sayin’s job to lose.
Whomever wins the job will be blessed with the best receiver corps in the sport, led by Smith and Tate. Klare caught 51 passes for 685 yards with four touchdowns at Purdue in 2024. There were heavy losses on defense too; linebacker Cody Simon, safety Lathan Ransom, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, and cornerback Denzel Burke won’t be easily replaced. Coach Ryan Day hired former Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia to replace Jim Knowles, who left for Penn State. Depth on the defensive line, especially in the interior, was a big concern coming out of spring practice.
2024 record: 9-4, 5-3 SEC
Previous ranking: 6
Key returning players: QB Garrett Nussmeier, RB Caden Durham, WR Aaron Anderson, LB Whit Weeks, CB Ashton Stamps, LB Harold Perkins Jr., S Jardin Gilbert
Key transfer portal additions: DE Patrick Payton (Florida State), DE Jack Pyburn (Florida), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), C Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech), G Josh Thompson (Northwestern), CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech), S A.J. Haulcy (Houston), DT Bernard Gooden (South Florida), S Tamarcus Cooley (NC State)
2025 outlook: There’s no reason the Tigers shouldn’t be in the thick of the SEC title and CFP races after coach Brian Kelly added 18 players from the transfer portal, including several plug-and-play starters. The latest addition, Haulcy, was an All-Big 12 performer in 2024. The Tigers were already returning the SEC’s most productive quarterback in Nussmeier and a deep receiver corps that only improved with Brown and Anderson. Moore and Thompson should help shore up an offensive line that lost four starters.
Haulcy joins a secondary that had already added Delane and Cooley. Payton and Pyburn were big-time additions on the edge, and Gooden filled a much-needed role on the interior defensive line. The Tigers are going to score a ton of points in 2025, but they have to stop opponents better than a year ago, when they ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring defense (24.3 points).
2024 record: 14-2
Previous ranking: 4
Key returning players: RB Jeremiyah Love, RB Jadarian Price, WR Jordan Faison, WR Jaden Greathouse, LB Drayk Bowen, S Adon Shuler
Key transfer portal additions: WR Malachi Fields (Virginia), WR Will Pauling (Wisconsin), TE Ty Washington (Arkansas), DL Jared Dawson (Louisville), DL Elijah Hughes (USC), S DeVonta Smith (Alabama), S Jalen Stroman (Virginia Tech)
2025 outlook: The biggest development from the spring was quarterback Steve Angeli‘s departure to Syracuse. He backed up former starter Riley Leonard during the Fighting Irish’s run to the CFP national title game. That leaves freshman CJ Carr (former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr’s grandson) and sophomore Kenny Minchey competing for the job. Carr seemed to have the edge coming out of spring practice. Irish coach Marcus Freeman dipped into the portal for some help at wideout in Fields, who caught 55 passes for 808 yards with five touchdowns last season, and Pauling, who had 42 receptions for 407 yards with three scores.
Notre Dame’s offensive line depth took a hit when three contributors — center Pat Coogan (Indiana), guard Rocco Spindler (Nebraska) and guard Sam Pendleton (Tennessee) — transferred. New defensive coordinator Chris Ash has big shoes to fill after Al Golden left to lead the Cincinnati Bengals‘ defense. Smith, a cornerback at Alabama, was working as the first-team nickel back during spring practice.
2024 record: 13-1, 9-0 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 6
Key returning players: WR Evan Stewart, TE Kenyon Sadiq, C Iapani Laloulu, LB Devon Jackson, LB Teitum Tuioti, LB Matayo Uiagalelei, LB Bryce Boettcher, S Kingston Lopa
Key transfer portal additions: RB Makhi Hughes (Tulane), G Emmanuel Pregnon (USC), OT Isaiah World (Nevada), OT Alex Harkey (Texas State), S Dillon Thieneman (Purdue), CB Theran Johnson (Northwestern), DT Bear Alexander (USC)
2025 outlook: The Ducks went back to work after winning a Big Ten title and finishing 13-0 in the regular season. The next step for coach Dan Lanning is to advance in the CFP. Former five-star prospect Dante Moore was battling Austin Novosad to replace Dillon Gabriel as the starting quarterback. Hughes, who ran for 1,401 yards with 15 scores in 2024, was working as the No. 1 tailback. Pregnon, World and Harkey were in position to start on the offensive line.
Freshman Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 receiver prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300, had a great spring and probably will challenge for a starting job. Johnson and Thieneman were competing for starting jobs in the secondary, and Alexander is trying to revive his once-promising career as the No. 1 nose tackle.
2024 record: 9-4, 5-3 SEC
Previous ranking: 12
Key returning players: RB Jam Miller, WR Ryan Williams, WR Germie Bernard, C Parker Brailsford, OT Kadyn Proctor, DE LT Overton, LB Justin Jefferson, LB Deontae Lawson, CB Zabien Brown, CB Domani Jackson, S Keon Sabb
Key transfer portal additions: WR Isaiah Horton (Miami), TE Brody Dalton (Troy), G Kam Dewberry (Texas A&M), CB Cameron Calhoun (Utah)
2025 outlook: There’s no question the Crimson Tide took a big step back in coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season, but what team wouldn’t after losing Nick Saban, arguably the greatest coach of all time? Alabama is too good of a program — and DeBoer is too good of a coach — for it to not claw itself back into contention for an SEC title.
Ty Simpson seems to be the player who will replace Jalen Milroe at quarterback, and the Tide added Horton as another proven pass catcher to complement Williams. Former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is also back after spending the past season in the NFL. There are future NFL players in the linebacker corps and secondary, but depth is a concern on the defensive line.
2024 record: 11-2, 7-2 Big 12
Previous ranking: 9
Key returning players: QB Jake Retzlaff, RB LJ Martin, WR Chase Roberts, WR/KR Keelan Marion, LB Isaiah Glasker, LB Jack Kelly, S Tanner Wall, CB Evan Johnson
Key transfer portal additions: DT Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah), DE Tausili Akana (Texas), DT Anisi Purcell (Southern Utah), TE Carsen Ryan (Utah), OT Andrew Gentry (Michigan)
2025 outlook: The Cougars came close to making the CFP last season, and with Retzlaff, Martin, Roberts and Marion returning, they should be more explosive on offense. The Cougars will have to replace three starting offensive linemen; Isaiah Jatta (Colorado Buffaloes) and Gentry are ready to take over at tackle.
BYU is searching for more depth on the defensive line, where Tanuvasa and Akana were competing for starting jobs. The linebacker corps suffered a blow when returning starting middle linebacker Harrison Taggart transferred to California in the spring. The group is still in good shape with Glasker and Kelly returning. Wall and Johnson lead a very experienced secondary.
2024 record: 10-3, 6-3 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 13
Key returning players: QB Luke Altmyer, RB Aidan Laughery, OT J.C. Davis, C Josh Kreutz, CB Xavier Scott, LB Gabe Jacas, LB Dylan Rosiek, SS Matthew Bailey, FS Miles Scott
Key transfer portal additions: WR Hudson Clement (West Virginia), DL James Thompson Jr. (Wisconsin), NT Curt Neal (Wisconsin), DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (Florida State), LB Leon Lowery Jr. (Wisconsin)
2025 outlook: After winning 10 games in a season for the first time since 2001, Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he doesn’t think the Illini are getting enough respect as a Big Ten title contender, and he might have a point. As ESPN’s Bill Connelly pointed out, only Clemson (81%) and Arizona State (79%) have more returning production than Illinois (76%) in the FBS. The Illini are bringing back senior quarterback Altmyer, all five starting offensive linemen, the entire secondary and star linebacker Jacas.
Finding new playmakers at receiver was a focus this spring — Clement and junior Malik Elzy emerged as potential starters. The Illini have two good options at running back, Laughery and Kaden Feagin, after Josh McCray left for Georgia. The Illini added a handful of veteran defensive linemen from the transfer portal, including Thompson, who had five sacks with the Badgers the past two seasons.
2024 record: 11-3, 7-2 Big 12
Previous ranking: 14
Key returning players: QB Sam Leavitt, WR Jordyn Tyson, RB Kyson Brown, S Myles Rowser, S Xavion Alford, LB Keyshaun Elliott, LB Jordan Crook, CB Keith Abney II, CB Javan Robinson, DE Clayton Smith
Key transfer portal additions: CB Nyland Green (Purdue), S Adrian Wilson (Washington State), RB Kanye Udoh (Army), WR Jaren Hamilton (Alabama), K Jesús Gómez (Eastern Michigan), DL My’Keil Gardner (Oregon)
2025 outlook: The Sun Devils won a Big 12 title in their first season in the conference in 2024, and now they’ll attempt to pull off the rare feat of repeating as champions. Leavitt and Tyson are already being projected as potential first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft; Tyson was cleared to participate in the spring after sitting out the 2024 postseason because of a shoulder injury.
There’s no question Arizona State will miss tailback Cam Skattebo‘s production; Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown and Udoh are in the mix for carries. There are 10 starters coming back from a defense that led the league in run defense (112.9 yards) and was No. 3 in scoring defense (22.6 points). The Sun Devils gave up too many big plays in the passing game, and they were working on getting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
2024 record: 9-4, 5-3 SEC
Previous ranking: 10
Key returning players: QB LaNorris Sellers, WR Mazeo Bennett Jr., LT Josiah Thompson, S Jalon Kilgore, DE Dylan Stewart, DE Bryan Thomas Jr., S DQ Smith
Key transfer portal additions: DT Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), LB Shawn Murphy (Florida State), DE Jaylen Brown (Missouri), RB Rahsul Faison (Utah State), TE Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), C Boaz Stanley (Troy), CB Brandon Cisse (NC State)
2025 outlook: The Gamecocks made big strides under coach Shane Beamer a year ago, finishing the regular season with a six-game winning streak. They worked hard to keep Sellers after he passed for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven more rushing in 2024. The NCAA hasn’t yet approved Faison’s additional year of eligibility, although Beamer was hopeful. He ran for 1,109 yards with eight touchdowns at Utah State in 2024.
A trio of transfers — Brownlow-Dindy, Murphy and Cisse — were in line to start on defense after spring practice. South Carolina will play another difficult schedule in the SEC with road games at Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M and home games against Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Alabama. It will also play Virginia Tech in Atlanta in its Aug. 31 opener and close the regular season against Clemson at home.
2024 record: 11-3, 7-2 Big 12
Previous ranking: 11
Key returning players: QB Rocco Becht, RB Carson Hansen, RB Abu Sama III, LB Kooper Ebel, S Jeremiah Cooper, CB Jontez Williams, DL Domonique Orange, LB Caleb Bacon, TE Benjamin Brahmer
Key transfer portal additions: WR Chase Sowell (East Carolina), WR Xavier Townsend (Central Florida), DE Vontroy Malone (Tulane), DE Cannon Butler (Northern Iowa), DE Tamatoa McDonough (Yale), CB Tre Bell (Lindenwood)
2025 outlook: The Cyclones won 11 games for the first time in school history in 2024, and with Becht returning for his third season as a starter, there’s plenty of optimism in Ames, Iowa, about this coming season. Iowa State lost top receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, but Sowell and Townsend are capable replacements.
Two starters also will have to be replaced up front on offense. Finding depth on the defensive line was a priority in the spring — Malone and Butler looked ready to contribute, and the Iowa State coaches are excited about McDonough’s potential. The Cyclones play Kansas State in Dublin to open the season and will host BYU and Arizona State at home.
2024 record: 11-3, 8-0 ACC
Previous ranking: 15
Key returning players: QB Kevin Jennings, S Isaiah Nwokobia, G Logan Parr, OT Savion Byrd, OT PJ Williams, S Ahmaad Moses, CB Jaelyn Davis-Robinson
Key transfer portal additions: RB T.J. Harden (UCLA), DE DJ Warner (Kansas), DE Trey Wilson (Baylor), DE Aakil Washington (South Alabama), DT Terry Webb (Texas State), DT Jeffrey M’Ba (Purdue), DT William Spencer (Louisville)
2025 outlook: After unexpectedly reaching the CFP in their first season in the ACC, the Mustangs’ priorities were pretty clear this spring: find some receivers and defensive linemen. SMU lost top pass catchers Roderick Daniels Jr. and Key’Shawn Smith, as well as leading rusher Brashard Smith. Coach Rhett Lashlee signed Harden, UCLA’s leading rusher in 2024, and he’s hoping freshmen Daylon Singleton and Jalen Cooper and a couple of transfers can help at receiver.
The situation on the defense is even more pressing after star edge rusher Elijah Roberts and tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte departed for the NFL. Making matters worse, the Mustangs lost tackle Jonathan Jefferson to an undisclosed injury that is expected to require him taking a medical redshirt this season, according to Lashlee. The Mustangs signed nine defensive linemen out of the portal to help.
2024 record: 8-5, 6-3 Big 12
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Key returning players: QB Behren Morton, WR Coy Eakin, WR Caleb Douglas, G Davion Carter, LB Ben Roberts, LB Jacob Rodriguez, S Chapman Lewis, CB Maurion Horn
Key transfer portal additions: DE David Bailey (Stanford), DE Romello Height (Georgia Tech), DL Lee Hunter (Central Florida), OT Howard Sampson (North Carolina), OT Will Jados (Miami of Ohio), WR Reggie Virgil (Miami of Ohio), TE Terrance Carter (Louisiana), DL Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois)
2025 outlook: Few teams were as active in the transfer portal as the Red Raiders, who put most of their attention (and money) on shoring up a defense that played terribly in 2024. Texas Tech surrendered 35 points or more in each of its five losses and ranked 122nd in the FBS in scoring defense (34.8 points) and next to last in pass defense (308.1 yards). Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire hired former Houston defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, who helped the Cougars improve from 112th in total defense in 2023 to 26th last season.
The Red Raiders signed several high-profile pass rushers, including Bailey, who had 14.5 sacks in three seasons at Stanford. At least three transfers are expected to start on the offensive line, and former USC running back Quinten Joyner will be in the mix to replace Tahj Brooks, who ran for 1,505 yards in 2024. Morton sat out preseason practices while recovering from December shoulder surgery; he recently started throwing again.
2024 record: 11-2, 8-1 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 17
Key returning players: WR Elijah Sarratt, WR Omar Cooper Jr., OT Carter Smith, G Drew Evans, LB Aiden Fisher, CB D’Angelo Ponds, S Amare Ferrell, DE Mikail Kamara
Key transfer portal additions: QB Fernando Mendoza (California), C Pat Coogan (Notre Dame), G Kahlil Benson (Colorado), OT Zen Michalski (Ohio State), WR Makai Jackson (App State), TE Holden Staes (Tennessee), DT Hosea Wheeler (Western Kentucky), DT Dominique Ratcliff (Texas State), CB Ryland Gandy (Pittsburgh), S Devan Boykin (NC State)
2025 outlook: The Hoosiers stunned the college football world by reaching the CFP in coach Curt Cignetti’s first season. And they’ve gone back into the transfer portal to fill some holes to try to run it back. Mendoza was one of the top quarterbacks in the portal after throwing for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns in 2024. Three transfers could start on the offensive line, and Jackson and California transfer Jonathan Brady should help a solid receiver corps.
Wheeler and Ratcliff will anchor the middle of the defensive line, and Kamara’s return was a big boost for the defense. It’s going to be difficult for Indiana to match last season’s success, but its nonconference schedule (Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and FCS program Indiana State) gives it a chance to get off to a good start.
2024 record: 9-4, 5-4 Big 12
Previous ranking: 16
Key returning players: QB Avery Johnson, RB Dylan Edwards, WR Jayce Brown, TE Garrett Oakley, C Sam Hecht, LB Austin Romaine, S VJ Payne, LB Desmond Purnell
Key transfer portal additions: WR Jerand Bradley (Boston College), WR Jaron Tibbs (Purdue), WR Caleb Medford (New Mexico), LB Gabe Powers (Ohio State), S Gunner Maldonado (Arizona), RB Antonio Martin Jr. (Southeast Louisiana), OT George Fitzpatrick (Ohio State)
2025 outlook: Johnson is ready to take the next step as a passer, and Kansas State coach Chris Klieman says he’s much more confident and efficient heading into his second season as a starter and first under new offensive coordinator Matt Wells. Edwards is ready to emerge as the No. 1 tailback after DJ Giddens departed, and the Wildcats added Bradley, Tibbs and Medford to help Brown at receiver.
Three starters have to be replaced on the offensive line. Leading tacklers Romaine and Payne return, but the Wildcats lost top edge rusher Brendan Mott. There’s still plenty of returning talent in nose tackles Damian Ilalio and Cody Stufflebean, and ends Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor. Kansas State opens the season against Iowa State in Dublin and plays Army at home.
2024 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
Previous ranking: 18
Key returning players: C Jake Slaughter, LT Austin Barber, QB DJ Lagway, RB Jadan Baugh, RB Ja’Kobi Jackson, WR Eugene Wilson III, TE Hayden Hansen DE Tyreak Sapp, DE George Gumbs Jr., DL Caleb Banks, S Jordan Castell
Key transfer portal additions: J.Michael Sturdivant (UCLA), S Micheal Caraway Jr. (Southern Miss), P Tommy Doman (Michigan), QB Harrison Bailey (Louisville), DE Kofi Asare (UMass)
2025 outlook: Much of Gators coach Billy Napier’s future seems tied to Lagway, who showed a lot of promise in his first season, throwing for 1,915 yards with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Lagway was a limited participant in spring practice while recovering from a shoulder injury and other ailments. He has started throwing again, and Napier is confident he’ll be fully healthy in offseason workouts.
The Gators returned much of their offensive line, two solid running backs and a recruiting class that included promising wideouts Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. If Lagway stays healthy, the Gators should build on last season’s strong finish. But they’ll again play one of the most difficult schedules in the FBS with home games against Texas, Georgia (Jacksonville) and Tennessee and road games at LSU, Miami, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
2024 record: 8-5, 5-4 Big Ten
Previous ranking: 21
Key returning players: LB Ernest Hausmann, LB Jaishawn Barham, DE TJ Guy, DE Derrick Moore, DL Rayshaun Benny, S Rod Moore, CB Zeke Berry, C Greg Crippen, G Giovanni El-Hadi, K Dominic Zvada, TE Marlin Klein
Key transfer portal additions: RB Justice Haynes (Alabama), QB Mikey Keene (Fresno State), WR Anthony Simpson (UMass), WR Donaven McCulley (Indiana), DL Tre Williams (Clemson), DL Damon Payne (Alabama), S TJ Metcalf (Arkansas)
2025 outlook: Michigan’s highly anticipated quarterback battle never really materialized this spring because Keene was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Five-star prospect Bryce Underwood and Jadyn Davis got most of the work in the spring. Haynes was working as the No. 1 tailback, and McCulley provides the offense with a taller option at receiver. Many of Michigan’s best defensive players are returning, but the Wolverines are going to have a difficult time replacing star defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
Payne, Williams and Rayshaun Benny will probably rotate in the interior defensive line. The Wolverines face some uncertainty heading into the season again — ESPN reported Monday that the university is planning to suspend coach Sherrone Moore for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for the Connor Stalions advanced scouting scandal. He would miss games against Central Michigan and Nebraska.
2024 record: 10-3, 6-2 ACC
Previous ranking: 23
Top returning players: RB Mark Fletcher Jr., RB Jordan Lyle, OT Markel Bell, OT Francis Mauigoa, TE Elija Lofton, G Matthew McCoy, DE Rueben Bain Jr., DE Akheem Mesidor, LB Wesley Bissainthe, CB OJ Frederique Jr.
Key transfer portal additions: QB Carson Beck (Georgia), WR CJ Daniels (LSU), WR Keelan Marion (BYU), WR Tony Johnson (Cincinnati), C James Brockermeyer (TCU), CB Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), S Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State), DT David Blay (Louisiana Tech)
2025 outlook: Much of the Hurricanes’ hopes in 2025 ride on Beck’s surgically repaired right arm. He sat out spring practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow. If he’s healthy and cuts down on the turnovers that plagued him at Georgia last season, Miami’s offense might be one of the better ones in the ACC. The Hurricanes have two dependable tailbacks and what could be a very good offensive line.
The receiver room needed depth — coach Mario Cristobal picked up Daniels, Marion and Johnson from the portal. Poyser and Lucas will help fill a couple of holes in the secondary, and Bain and Mesidor are healthy and have slimmed down. The Hurricanes open the season against Notre Dame at home on Aug. 31 and play Florida at home on Sept. 20.
2024 record: 9-4, 5-3 ACC
Previous ranking: 20
Key returning players: WR Chris Bell, RB Isaac Brown, LB TJ Quinn, LB Stanquan Clark, C Pete Nygra, RB Duke Watson, S D’Angelo Hutchinson, OT Trevonte Sylvester
Key transfer portal additions: QB Miller Moss (USC), G Naeer Jackson (FIU), DE Wesley Bailey (Rutgers), DE Justin Beadles (New Mexico State), NT Denzel Lowry (Old Dominion), CB Rodney Johnson Jr. (Southern), FS JoJo Evans (FIU)
2025 outlook: After a season full of near misses in 2024, Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm is rolling with another transfer quarterback this season. Moss started nine games at USC before losing the job in 2024; he threw for 3,469 yards with 27 touchdowns in his career there. The good news for Moss is he’ll join an offense with Brown, one of the best tailbacks in the FBS, and a receiver corps that includes Bell and Caullin Lacy, who sat out most of last season after breaking his collarbone.
The Cardinals might have to score a lot of points because their defense is probably going to be a work in progress. There were big losses up front, although leading tacklers Quinn and Clark are returning. Louisville added a few defensive backs from the portal to also rebuild the back end.
2024 record: 8-5, 5-3 SEC
Key losses: 22
Key returning players: QB Marcel Reed, RB Le’Veon Moss, RB Rueben Owens, OT Trey Zuhn III, LB Taurean York, CB Will Lee III, S Dalton Brooks, LB Scooby Williams
Key transfer portal additions: WR Kevin Concepcion (NC State), WR Mario Craver (Mississippi State), WR Jonah Wilson (Houston), DL Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State), DL T.J. Searcy (Florida), DL Sam M’Pemba (Georgia), DL Dayon Hayes (Colorado), CB Jordan Shaw (Washington), CB Julian Humphrey (Georgia)
2025 outlook: The Aggies should be better with Reed getting a second offseason under his belt, and he’ll be much more effective if they can keep Moss and Owens healthy. Moss was one of the best backs in the SEC before he went down because of a knee injury in the ninth game in 2024. Owens sat out most of last season because of a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, but the former four-star prospect is healthy.
The Aggies upgraded their receiver corps by adding Concepcion, Craver and Wilson. Their biggest concern on defense is replacing Shemar Stewart, Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton‘s production up front. Onyedim, Searcy and Hayes should help, and Shaw should be a big contributor in the secondary.
2024 record: 10-3, 5-3 SEC
Previous rankings: 25
Key returning players: QB Austin Simmons, WR, Cayden Lee, TE Dae’Quan Wright, LB TJ Dottery, LB Suntarine Perkins, DT Zxavian Harris
Key transfer portal additions: DT Da’Shawn Womack (LSU), DE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), CB Ricky Fletcher (South Alabama), S Sage Ryan (LSU), S Kapena Gushiken (Washington State), WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), G Delano Townsend (UAB), G Patrick Kutas (Arkansas)
2025 outlook: Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin isn’t expecting Simmons to be as productive as NFL first-rounder Jaxson Dart in his first season as a starter, but Simmons has already shown he can be pretty good in limited action. Logan Diggs, who sat out most of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, is in line to start at tailback, and Stribling, Caleb Odom (Alabama), Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and Harrison Wallace III (Penn State) are new faces at receiver. Womack and Umanmielen were important pickups on the defensive line, and there are several transfers competing for starting jobs in the secondary.
2024 record: 6-7, 2-6 SEC
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Key returning players: DE R Mason Thomas, NT Damonic Williams, DT Jayden Jackson, LB Kip Lewis, CB Eli Bowen, SS Peyton Bowen, FS Robert Spears-Jennings, WR Deion Burks, C Troy Everett
Key transfer portal additions: QB John Mateer (Washington State), RB Jaydn Ott (California), WR Isaiah Sategna (Arkansas), WR JaVonnie Gibson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), TE Will Huggins (Pittsburg State), OT Derek Simmons (Western Carolina), DE Marvin Jones Jr. (Florida State)
2025 outlook: The Sooners didn’t have much to cheer about in their first season in the SEC, finishing 6-7 for the second time in three years. Coach Brent Venables needs a bounce-back season in a big way, and he has transformed his offense to try to make it happen. Mateer threw for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while rushing for 826 and 15 scores. Ott was one of the top runners in the FBS with 1,305 yards in 2023, but he limped through an injury-plagued season last year.
Gibson, an FCS All-American in 2024, broke his right leg during spring practice, but Venables says he is hopeful he’ll be back before the start of the season. The Sooners were pretty sound on defense last season, and Thomas, Williams and Jackson are an imposing front. The secondary should be good again with Spears-Jennings and both Bowens returning. With home games against Michigan, Auburn, Texas (in Dallas), Ole Miss and LSU, and road games at South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, Oklahoma will have to be much better to be a surprise.
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Alden Gonzalez
We’re six weeks into the 2025 MLB season, long enough to gather some meaningful intel but short enough to wonder how much of it actually matters.
Pete Alonso has gone from unwanted free agent to MVP front-runner, only one team in the typically mighty American League East boasts a winning record, and some of the game’s best closers — Devin Williams, Alexis Díaz, Ryan Pressly and Emmanuel Clase, in particular — are suddenly not.
Those are just a few of the notable surprises through the first 23% or so of this season. Below are five others, and the reasons behind them.
Spencer Torkelson is suddenly hitting like a No. 1 pick
Spencer Torkelson was the Detroit Tigers’ No. 1 draft pick out of Arizona State University in 2020, billed as a can’t-miss bat. The 2024 season was supposed to be the stage for his breakout. Instead, he found himself back in the minor leagues.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch texted Torkelson almost daily after the team sent him down to Triple-A in June. At one point, the two even met up for breakfast. Hinch wanted to assure Torkelson that the Tigers were thinking about him and still valued him. But what Torkelson might have needed most, some of those around him believe, was to see the team succeed without him. He needed the urgency to change.
“Coming out of college, I felt like I had it figured out, was the greatest hitter ever,” Torkelson said. “And I got humbled.”
Torkelson struggled so profoundly last year — a .669 OPS, 10 homers and 105 strikeouts in 92 games — that he entered 2025 without a clear path for playing time. Now, early in his age-25 season, he looks like the feared hitter so many expected to see. Through 36 games, Torkelson has already equaled last year’s home run total. He’s drawing walks at a significantly higher rate, OPS’ing .879 and ranking within the top 5% in expected slugging percentage — a stat in which he finished 211th among 252 hitters last year.
Torkelson entered this season with a 361-game sample of inconsistency, but scouts don’t see his sudden success as an early-season fluke — they see it as the result of an elite hitter making consequential adjustments.
Torkelson is more athletic and in rhythm in his stance this year, whereas previously he looked “statuesque,” in the words of one Tigers source. He has more bend in his knees, plants his feet closer together and has implemented a slight crouch. But it’s not really a change. It’s how he hit right up until the time he reached the majors.
“You watch any swing in my entire life,” Torkelson said, “I kinda look exactly the way I look right now.”
The taller stance Torkelson fell into at the big league level was what he described as “a Band-Aid.” The high fastball gave him trouble early on, so Torkelson did what felt obvious: make that high fastball seem less high.
“And it worked,” Torkelson said. “I got away with it. I hit 31 homers and I didn’t even feel that great.”
But those 31 home runs, accumulated in his second year in 2023, masked other deficiencies that showed up the following summer. Torkelson slashed just .205/.271/.337 through the end of May in 2024. Shortly after, he was sent back to Triple-A for what became an 11-week stint. He returned in mid-August, produced a more respectable .781 OPS over his last 38 regular-season games, then went into the offseason vowing to hit the way he used to. He took a lesson from studying one of his favorite hitters, Mike Trout, who has built a Hall of Fame career despite struggling against the high fastball.
“We don’t get paid to hammer the high fastball,” Torkelson said. “We get paid to hammer the mistakes.”
The Tigers signed veteran second baseman Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15 million deal in late December, then announced Colt Keith would move to first base. Torkelson came into spring training having to fight just to get at-bats at designated hitter.
Then everything changed. Torkelson hit his way into a starting role at first base in 31 of the Tigers’ 36 games. His production — along with that of Javier Baez, who has produced an .827 OPS while transitioning to center field — has given the Tigers some much-needed right-handed power and helped them climb to the top of the AL Central.
“I’m seeing the ball better, and I feel dangerous at the plate,” Torkelson said. “As a hitter, that’s all you can ask for. You’re not going to hit 1.000. But when you’re feeling dangerous and you’re seeing the ball well, you feel like you can’t be beat. You’re going to get beat, but it gives you the best shot.”
The Angels’ lineup is trending toward the worst type of history
Last year, the lowly offenses of the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox posted two of the 12 worst walk-to-strikeout ratios in major league history. Now the Los Angeles Angels, who entered 2025 with hopes of finally being competitive again, are making an early run at the all-time mark.
The Angels’ offense has accumulated 81 walks through its first 35 games this season, the lowest total in the majors. Their hitters have struck out 338 times (third most). Before tying their season high with six walks in a walk-off win on Wednesday night, their 0.23 walk-to-strikeout rate was on pace to be the worst in baseball history. It has since improved to a mere 0.24, tied with the 2019 White Sox for the lowest ever.
It’s probably not surprising to learn that the full-season bottom 10 in that category has taken place over the past dozen years, at a time when hitters strike out more often than ever. It’s probably also not surprising to learn that seven of those 10 teams lost at least 100 games.
The Angels’ offense has been that bad. Since putting up 11 runs at the spring training facility where the Tampa Bay Rays play on April 10, they rank 29th in batting average, 27th in slugging percentage, and last in each of the following categories: on-base percentage, strikeout rate, walk rate and runs per game.
And though there’s still plenty of time to turn this around, it’s hard to envision how that historically low walk-to-strikeout rate — an important barometer of success on both sides — significantly improves. (Their pitching strikeout-to-walk rate, ranked 27th at 1.90, isn’t much better.)
On Tuesday, the Angels were happy to welcome back Yoan Moncada, who is capable of drawing walks but also strikes out at an exceedingly high rate. A return from Mike Trout, whose latest knee injury is not considered serious, would certainly help, though he reached base at only a .264 clip during his first 29 games. Taylor Ward, meanwhile, is much better than a .180/.225/.376 hitter.
But then there’s Jo Adell, whose career .639 OPS ranks 100th among the 114 players in Angels history with at least 1,000 plate appearances. And Logan O’Hoppe, who had the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the majors last year. And Jorge Soler, a prodigious power hitter who naturally carries a lot of swing-and-miss. And, notably, Kyren Paris, who looked like a breakout star early on but lately looks overmatched; since a two-hit game put his OPS at 1.514 on April 11, Paris has eight hits, three walks and 32 strikeouts in 66 plate appearances.
The Angels’ coaches have been trying to emphasize a two-strike approach with their hitters, but there’s only so much they can do.
“When you’ve got guys that’s capable of hitting the ball out the ballpark, it’s hard to tell them to cut their swing down because they don’t know what that is,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “And when you’ve got guys in the lineup that don’t have a lot of experience and you say, ‘Cut the swing down,’ they don’t know what that is. There’s a lot of baseball to be gathered around here, man.”
Washington paused for a moment and smiled. Before being hired by the Angels in November 2023, Washington spent seven years as the third-base coach and infield instructor on Atlanta Braves teams brimming with veteran, championship-caliber players. This Angels team is not that. It’s young and inexperienced, and Washington has to remind himself of that constantly.
He is a teacher at heart, and often that requires patience. His is being tested like never before.
The Brewers’ injury-riddled rotation has somehow found a way
Three Milwaukee Brewers starting pitchers — DL Hall, Tobias Myers and Aaron Ashby — landed on the injured list with soft-tissue injuries during spring training. Two more, Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes, went on the shelf within the regular season’s first week. By that point, the list of starting pitchers on the IL stretched to seven. And yet, in the most Brewers way possible, their rotation followed with a miraculous run.
From April 6-22, the foursome of Freddy Peralta, Chad Patrick, Jose Quintana and Quinn Priester combined for a 1.55 ERA over 63⅔ innings. The Brewers began the season by allowing 47 runs in 33 innings, but since then, their starting rotation boasts the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors at 3.08.
Peralta is a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter, but Quintana is a 36-year-old who signed for a mere $4 million in March; Priester is a failed first-round pick acquired in a minor trade early last month; and Patrick is a 26-year-old rookie who wasn’t on anybody’s radar when the season began.
But the Brewers have built a reputation for employing pitchers who overachieve. Because they can’t afford the high-ceiling arms who cost a fortune in free agency, they hammer their depth to raise their floor as much as possible. And to do so, they apply a simple concept: develop and acquire pitchers who fit their environment. More specifically, pitchers who benefit most from a strong infield defense.
Quintana, who can throw his sinker with more conviction with better defense behind him, posted a 1.14 ERA in his first four starts before allowing six runs to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Patrick, who boasts an elite cutter with two different shapes, has a 3.08 ERA in his first seven turns through the rotation. Priester, the 18th pick in 2019, had a 6.23 ERA in 99⅔ major league innings heading into 2025. But the Brewers were intrigued by a minor league track record in which he had roughly average strikeout and walk rates and kept more than half the batted balls against him on the ground. Priester maintained a 1.93 ERA through his first three starts before allowing 12 runs over his next 9⅓ innings.
That rough patch aside, Priester helped stabilize a Brewers rotation that was in dire straits when the season began. A key reinforcement could come by the end of this week, when Brandon Woodruff makes his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery. Woodruff has been fully healthy, pitching without restrictions, but his velocity has been down, his fastball sitting in the 92- to 94-mph range as opposed to the upper-90s heat he featured while pitching like an ace. When Woodruff returns, he might have to pitch differently.
The Brewers will probably figure it out.
The next hitting star on the Rays is actually … Jonathan Aranda?
The Tampa Bay Rays exceeded their international bonus pool in 2014, restricting them to signing players for no more than $300,000 over the next two years. And yet, leading up to the 2015 signing period, assistant general manager Carlos Rodríguez and then-international scouting supervisor Eddie Díaz traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to watch a Cuban outfielder they could not afford: Randy Arozarena.
The trip proved to be beneficial years later, when the Rays acquired Arozarena from the St. Louis Cardinals and helped him become a star. But it was beneficial for another reason: It helped them discover Jonathan Aranda.
Rodríguez, at that time the director of Latin American scouting, asked Díaz to line up other prospects to see during the trip. Aranda was in that group and caught their eye. The Rays signed him for $130,000 in July 2015. Ten years later, they’re watching him blossom.
Aranda, a 26-year-old left-handed hitter, ranks third with 182 weighted runs created plus this season, behind only Aaron Judge and Alonso. He’s slashing .317/.417/.554 with 14 extra-base hits. And so far, at least, he’s stealing the spotlight from Junior Caminero, widely hailed as the Rays’ next hitting phenom. It’s easy to be skeptical — Aranda’s .971 OPS is 279 points higher than his career mark in 110 games going into 2025 — but those who know him best are adamant that this is real.
Aranda has always been an elite hitter. The question was how the Rays would fit him into their major league roster. He came up as a shortstop at around the same time Wander Franco surged through the system. By the time he was on the cusp of the major leagues, the likes of Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Brandon Lowe and Ji-man Choi occupied the other infield positions.
At one point, the Rays had Aranda try catching in hopes of getting his bat to the big leagues quicker. They felt he might have the arm and the hands for it. Aranda went back to Mexico and caught a handful of bullpen sessions but decided against it. He expressed confidence that his bat would eventually be enough to reach the majors.
It looked like it would in 2024. Aranda slashed .371/.421/.571 in 13 Grapefruit League games that spring and was primed to crack the Opening Day roster. But then he broke his right ring finger fielding a grounder, missed about five weeks and struggled for most of the ensuing season. It prompted a stint in winter ball, where he made small mechanical tweaks that have helped him thrive in the early part of 2025.
But mostly, Rays officials believe, Aranda’s success stems from finally having a pathway for consistent playing time, largely as the stronger half of a DH platoon. His splits are quite drastic — 1.066 OPS against righties, three hits in 18 at-bats against lefties — but Aranda profiles as a 20-plus home run hitter who can rack up doubles and control the strike zone. It just took him a bit to get there.
Max Muncy suddenly can’t hit home runs
Max Muncy went 106 plate appearances before finally hitting his first home run of 2025 on the final day of April. It marked the longest single-season homerless streak of his career, easily topping the 80-plate-appearance rut from 2022, according to ESPN Research.
His biggest issue was one that plagues many left-handed hitters who throw right-handed.
“He gets out on his front side pretty quickly,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates explained. “Part of the challenge for him is when he needs to start his leg kick and how to maintain balance as he’s striding forward. Because he throws with his right hand and hits lefty, the right side of his body kind of dominates his swing moving toward the pitcher, which is pretty common for a lot of guys. You look at Corey Seager, he’s pretty balanced. But a lot of times, when you have a lefty-righty-combo guy, they get kind of pulled that way. So that’s something that he has to constantly battle, and he has his whole career. When he’s synced up and he’s right, it’s great. And when he’s out of whack, he’s got to work to get it right.”
Muncy spent the better part of the first month working to sync up his timing, specifically when he drives his momentum forward. Few major league hitters stay on their back side through their entire load, Aaron Judge being a notable exception. But for most of this season, Muncy was getting to his front side too early, which resulted in fouling off hittable fastballs and struggling against breaking pitches.
“When you don’t trust yourself as a hitter, you don’t wanna get beat, and so you get off your backside sooner,” Bates said. “So it’s like the chicken or the egg.”
When Muncy settled into the batter’s box in the second inning on April 30, 305 players had already homered in the major leagues this season. Muncy, with four 35-plus-homer seasons on his résumé, was not one of them. That day, he debuted prescription eyeglasses he had been testing out during pregame workouts to combat astigmatism in his right eye. The hope, Muncy told reporters, was that the glasses would make him less left-eye dominant.
But the biggest issue was a swing he had tweaked to produce low line drives instead of fly balls but wound up making him drift forward too early. Getting his weight shift back to normal proved to be a slow process. But to Bates, an encouraging sign arrived two days before Muncy’s first home run — when he stayed back on a sinker and dumped an opposite-field line drive into left-center.
Muncy has produced just the one home run — putting him in the same boat as Alec Bohm, Bo Bichette and Xander Bogaerts, and one ahead of Joc Pederson, Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno — and still doesn’t seem fully in sync. But he’s carrying a slightly more respectable .750 OPS since the start of that game on April 30. He’s drawing walks, displaying some power, and at some point, Bates believes, the home runs will come in bunches.
“It can be any at-bat,” Bates said, “he’s homering.”
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Greg Wyshynski
WASHINGTON — Tom Wilson would like a word with the official scorers about his blocked shots in the Washington Capitals’ 3-1 win in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I only had two of them? The guys up top need to pay a little more attention,” Wilson said after the Capitals evened their Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series at 1-1 Thursday night.
Perhaps it was quality over quantity for Wilson in Game 2. One of his two blocks was a sprawling stop in the first period that took away a Grade-A scoring chance from Hurricanes center Jordan Staal in front of Washington goalie Logan Thompson (27 saves), sparking a roar from the crowd.
“He does everything the right way. We build off it. I think the whole stadium built off it. Big part of why we won tonight,” Thompson said of Wilson.
“He actually said ‘thank you’ for one of the blocks. I think that was a first this year,” Wilson, a 6-foot-4 winger, responded with Thompson next to him smiling.
Despite what the scoresheet said about his blocked shots, it felt as if Wilson was all over the defensive zone in Game 2 — and the offensive end as well.
He assisted on defenseman John Carlson‘s power-play goal 1:54 into the third period, the eventual game-winner and the first goal surrendered by the Carolina penalty kill this postseason (19-for-20). Wilson clinched the win with an empty-net goal, his third of the playoffs, with a minute left in regulation.
“Obviously he set the tone,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said. “He’s our leader. He’s plays smart. He plays physical. Scored a big goal.”
The Capitals needed that effort after their 2-1 overtime loss in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
“Game 1 wasn’t good enough. We knew that. It was in our headspace for the last couple of days. It’s not a good feeling when you go home after Game 1 and you weren’t happy with your effort,” Wilson said. “As a group, we have the ability to look at each other and demand more. To know that the guy next to you is going to show up and give it everything is just a really cool thing.”
Wilson was one of the most vocally dissatisfied players after the defeat. His line with Connor McMichael and Pierre-Luc Dubois was dominated by Carolina in Game 1, getting outchanced 11-1 and finishing with a minus-21 in shot attempts.
Coach Spencer Carbery said that Wilson’s improvement game over game, and that of his leadership group as a whole, inspired the team.
“When we don’t perform to our standard, it, for lack of a better term, pisses them off. It doesn’t sit well with them. Then they take concrete actions to fix it and to make sure it doesn’t look like that again,” Carbery said. “And so that’s exactly what you saw over the last 48 hours from Willie.”
Carbery said Wilson was the first player to come to him and ask how the Capitals could be better situationally after a disappointing Game 1 loss.
“It’s easy for some people to get uncomfortable with losing and they turn the page the next day. It’s a whole other thing to do something about it in your preparation and then go out and meet the charge,” Carbery said. “He was right there tonight, dragging guys into the fight.”
Game 3 of the series is in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday night.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Joel Quenneville returned to hockey Thursday with contrition. He acknowledged mistakes and said he accepted full responsibility for his role in the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.
The second-winningest coach in NHL history said he is a changed man after nearly four years away from the game. As he took over behind the bench of the Anaheim Ducks, he vowed to continue to educate himself about abuse, to expand his work with victims, and to create an unimpeachably safe workplace with his new team.
Quenneville also realizes that’s not nearly enough to satisfy a significant segment of hockey fans that believes his acknowledged inaction during the Blackhawks scandal should have ended his career forever.
“I fully understand and accept those who question my return to the league,” Quenneville said. “I know words aren’t enough. I will demonstrate (by) my actions that I am a man of character.”
Ducks owner Henry Samueli and general manager Pat Verbeek strongly backed the 66-year-old Quenneville when they introduced him as the coach of a franchise stuck in a seven-year playoff drought and thirsting for the success Quenneville has usually orchestrated.
He won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and took 20 teams to the playoffs during a quarter-century with four NHL clubs, becoming the most consistent winner of his era.
While Quenneville’s on-ice record was remarkable, his off-ice behavior in 2010 eventually led to his resignation from the Florida Panthers in October 2021 and a lengthy banishment from the league — a ban that many feel should be permanent.
“I own my mistakes,” Quenneville said, occasionally pausing in his delivery of a written statement. “While I believed wholeheartedly the issue was handled by management, I take full responsibility for not following up and asking more questions. That’s entirely on me. Over nearly four years, I’ve taken time to reflect, to listen to experts and advocates, and educate myself on the realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader. I hope others can learn from my inaction.”
Quenneville and Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac were banned from the NHL for nearly three years after an independent investigation concluded the team mishandled allegations raised by former player Kyle Beach against video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s first Stanley Cup run. The trio was reinstated last July, and Bowman became the Edmonton Oilers‘ general manager three weeks later.
After an investigation and vetting process that lasted several days and included communication with Beach and other sexual assault victims and advocacy groups, the Ducks’ owners ultimately supported the decision made by Verbeek, Quenneville’s teammate in New Jersey and Hartford more than three decades ago.
Samueli and his wife, Susan, and their daughter, Jillian, all spoke at length with Quenneville. Henry Samueli said he is “absolutely convinced Joel is a really good person.”
“I think the four years that Joel spent out of hockey has really given him an opportunity to learn a lot,” Samueli said. “In my mind, he will be a model coach for dealing with situations like this. I think he will be a mentor to other coaches in the league who can come to him and talk to him. ‘How do you handle situations like that? What do you do?’ And they’ll trust him, because he’s old-school who’s changed. The fact that he comes from an old-school hockey culture, but now has transitioned and learned what it means to operate in 2025, not 1980 or whatever, I think that will make a big difference in how he operates.”
Quenneville said he understands just how badly his reputation and career were damaged by his role in the Blackhawks’ handling of the accusations against Aldrich. He remained out of hockey for another season after his ban ended, but became increasingly eager to continue his career last winter while watching games every night and staying closely informed on the league.
“I thought I had some work to do in growing as a person,” Quenneville said. “As far as doing work along the way, I felt I had progressed to an area where the education I had put me in a position where I know I can share some of these lessons and these experiences as well.”
Many people with a firsthand knowledge of Quenneville’s attempts to change himself supported his desire to return. Quenneville said he has spoken to Beach several times recently, including Thursday morning.
He has formed learning friendships with advocates including Chris Jensen, the former University of Wisconsin player and Maple Leafs draft pick who was abused by a coach as a teenager.
“I think most of the athletes that have played for him would argue that this guy has helped me be better,” Jensen said. “He brings all that expertise, and now he’s got additional perspective about how to be available to help people deal with emotional injury. I think he’s in a much better position to be successful.”
The Ducks’ charitable foundation is already involved in charitable and philanthropic work supporting survivors of sexual abuse, and Samueli expects Quenneville to support those efforts.
“I’m very confident that Joel will be a star when it comes to working with those organizations,” Samueli said.
Before his ban, Quenneville spent parts of 25 NHL seasons behind the benches of St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago and Florida, most notably leading the Blackhawks to championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His 969 career victories are the second-most in NHL history, trailing only Scotty Bowman’s 1,244.
Quenneville takes over a team with the NHL’s third-longest active playoff drought. Anaheim finished sixth in the Pacific Division this season at 35-37-10 after being in the bottom two for the previous four consecutive years.
He replaces Greg Cronin, who was surprisingly fired by Verbeek after leading the Ducks to a 21-point improvement in his second season.
Quenneville inherits an Anaheim team with an ample stock of young talent, and he was immediately impressed by their roster when he saw it in person during Anaheim’s road trip to Tampa Bay last January. He also coached Ducks captain Radko Gudas and forward Frank Vatrano in Florida.
“One of the best coaches I’ve ever had, and I always tell people that,” said Vatrano, who attended Quenneville’s introductory news conference. “As a person, he’s a great person, too. That’s what always draws me to Q. I’m a huge advocate for him, and I’m glad he’s here.”
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