Skip to main content
Florida

4 Gators named to Phil Steele 2025 Preseason All-American Team

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi06/12/25ZachAbolverdi
Rocco-Underwood-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators long snapper Rocco Underwood (42) celebrates a tackle against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Phil Steele’s annual Preseason All-American Team has been released for the 2025 season, and it includes four Florida Gators. UF has a player on each of the four teams.

Long snapper Rocco Underwood earned preseason first-team honors and center Jake Slaughter made the second team despite being an AP first-team All-American selection last season.

Defensive lineman Caleb Banks was named to the third team after breaking out late in 2024, while wide receiver Eugene Wilson III is on the fourth team despite missing most of the year.

Banks, Slaughter and Wilson were also recently ranked among the top players at their position nationally by Pro Football Focus, along with quarterback DJ Lagway and EDGE Tyreak Sapp.

Here’s a rundown of the four Florida Gators on Phil Steele’s 2025 Preseason All-American Team:

LS Rocco Underwood, First Team

2024 stats: Handled starting long snapper duties for the third-straight season, playing 103 snaps and recording three total tackles and a fumble recovery on the year.
Quotable: “He’s very talented obviously. Winning the Mannelly award, getting voted as basically the country’s best snapper, voted on by his peers. Rocco does have the on field success that allows him to be a leader. … Not only does he do a really good job snapping, which is a complete art, but he does a good job in protection too. We ask him to protect, he’s gonna have to protect in the NFL, so I try and develop him from that aspect as well. And then he’s a ballhawk in coverage.” — special teams coordinator Joe Houston

C Jake Slaughter, Second Team

2024 stats: Started all 13 games and played 800 snaps, the highest total of any Gator. Posted the highest PFF grade on offense at 82.0, which led all SEC centers. Allowed only one sack, eight QB hurries and nine pressures while committing just three penalties.
Quotable: “The center is the most important part on the offense line, you are the quarterback of the O-line. They have to get the Mike points right, their IDs and protection. Just him settling into the leadership role, becoming an All American, now he has the accolades to match it, the expectations rise. You always coach the best players the hardest and that raises the level of the room, so I am challenging Jake right now to take his game to the next level, especially in the run game.” — offensive line coach Jonathan Decoster

DL Caleb Banks, Third Team

2024 stats: Earned SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week against the Rebels. Finished the season with 21 tackles (10 solo), 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a recovered fumble in 12 games played (10 starts).
Quotable: “Obviously having a guy like that who started to reach a peak towards the back end of the season last year, it’s getting him to do that from Day 1 — and then be consistent throughout the whole year. That’s the challenge. … This is not just, hey, you come back and you’re that guy. You have to work to be that guy. You have to work to be that guy that we’ve seen at the tail end of the season, and it’s going to take for you to work your craft. … I do believe he’s going to do it the right way.” — defensive line coach Gerald Chatman

WR Eugene Wilson III, Fourth Team

2024 stats: Had a career-high 141 receiving yards and one touchdown on six receptions against Samford, including an 85-yard touchdown catch. Finished with 19 catches for 266 yards in four games played before season-ending hip surgery.
Quotable: “He’s matured. He’s really picked up the offense. As a freshman, he came in and it was just kind of running around and making plays. He’s done a great job as far as learning the offense. Right now, that’s one thing he wanted to do a great job in the offseason, and he did learn the offense. He’s a guy that, again, can play multiple positions. You can move him around from position to position. But he’s done a great job as far as bulking up his body. He looks great.” — wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales

You may also like