Jake Slaughter named preseason AP All-American

Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter, who produced a first-team AP All-American season in 2024, has been predicted to go back-to-back. The AP revealed its preseason AP All-America team Monday and the UF senior was on the squad again. Slaughter and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs were the only returning first-team AP All-Americans named to the team.

All told, Florida will face seven first-team picks and seven second-teamers in 2025.

Here is a look at the AP preseason All-Americans …

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

Quarterback – Cade Klubnik, fourth year, Clemson.
Running backs – Jeremiyah Love, third year, Notre Dame; Nicholas Singleton, fourth year, Pens
Tight end – Eli Stowers, fifth year, Vanderbilt.
Wide receivers – Jeremiah Smith, second year, Ohio State; Ryan Williams, second year, Alabama; Jordyn Tyson, fourth year, Arizona State.
All-purpose player – Desmond Reid, fourth year, Pittsburgh.
Kicker – Dominic Zvada, fourth year, Michigan.

FIRST=TEAM DEFENSE

Edge – Dylan Stewart, second year, South Carolina; Colin Simmons, second year, Texas.
Tackles – Peter Woods, third year, Clemson; Zane Durant, fourth year, Penn State.
Linebackers – Anthony Hill Jr., third year, Texas; West Weeks, fifth year, LSU; Kyle Louis, fourth year, Pittsburgh.
Cornerbacks – Leonard Moore, second year, Notre Dame; Jermod McCoy, third year, Tennessee.
Safeties – Caleb Downs, third year, Ohio State; Dillon Thieneman, third year, Oregon.
Defensive back – Michael Taaffe, fifth year, Texas.
Punter – Brett Thorson, fourth year, Georgia.

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

Quarterback – Garrett Nussmeier, fifth year, LSU.
Running backs – Makhi Hughes, fourth year, Oregon; Isaac Brown, second year, Louisville.
Tackles – Francis Mauigoa, third year, Miami; Blake Miller, fourth year, Clemson.
Guards – Cayden Green, third year, Missouri; Keylan Rutledge, fourth year, Georgia Tech.
Center – Parker Brailsford, fourth year, Alabama.
Tight end – Max Klare, fourth year, Ohio State.
Wide receivers – Antonio Williams, fourth year, Clemson; Elijah Sarratt, fourth year, Indiana; Cam Coleman, second year, Auburn.
All-purpose player – Kaytron Allen, fourth year, Penn State.
Kicker – Peyton Woodring, third year, Georgia.

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

Edge – T.J. Parker, third year, Clemson; Matayo Uiagalelei, third year, Oregon.
Tackles – Tim Keenan III, fifth year, Alabama; Christen Miller, fourth year, Georgia.
Linebackers – Taurean York, third year, Texas A&M; Harold Perkins Jr., fourth year, LSU; Aiden Fisher, fourth year, Indiana.
Cornerbacks – Chandler Rivers, fourth year, Duke; D’Angelo Ponds, third year, Indiana.
Safeties – Koi Perich, second year, Minnesota; KJ Bolden, second year, Georgia.
Defensive back – Jalon Kilgore, third year, South Carolina.
Punter – Ryan Eckley, fourth year, Michigan State.

Jake Slaughter is coming off a stellar season

Last season, Slaughter started all 13 games, logging more snaps than anyone else on Florida’s offensive line. Pro Football Focus graded him as the Gators’ top performer in both pass protection and run blocking, and by season’s end he was a consensus All-American.

This summer, the recognition kept coming. And coming. And coming. PFF named him the SEC’s top offensive player entering the 2025 season. At SEC Media Days, he earned a first-team preseason all-conference nod. Many analysts project another All-American season in 2025, and he’s on the watch list for the Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, and Rimington Trophy.

“He has earned every single thing that he has gotten,” Napier said. “He is the absolute top leader on our team and sets the tone and the pace every day.”

A former 3-star prospect ranked just No. 687 nationally in the 2021 class, Slaughter played in one game as a true freshman before redshirting. The next season, he appeared in all 13 games, but mostly on special teams. By Year 3, Slaughter had climbed the depth chart.