NCAA men’s golf preseason rankings: Top 30 teams, players for 2025-26

1. Texas

• Final 2024-25 rank: 5
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Quarterfinalist (sixth in stroke play)
• Returning: Christiaan Maas (Sr.), Tommy Morrison (Sr.), Daniel Bennett (Soph.), Luke Potter (Sr.), Jack Gilbert (Jr.), Eduardo Derbez Torres (Soph.)
• Departed: Ben DeLaRosa
• Arriving: Matthew Comegys (Sr.; transferred from Texas Tech), Brooks Simmons (Fr.), Adam Villanueva (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Maas, Morrison, Bennett, Potter, Comegys

Scouting report: How good can this Texas team be? One rival coach said of head coach John Fields’ team, “This could be the best team he’s ever had.” That’s high praise considering Fields has two NCAA titles and two NCAA runners-up in his lengthy career in Austin. Last season, Texas underachieved in the postseason after five wins, finishing seventh at SECs and bowing out in the first round of match play, finishing third at regionals and then losing in the quarterfinals at La Costa. But everyone is back, including three players who made match play at the U.S. Amateur –Maas, Morrison and Bennett. Maas hasn’t quite put all his talent together in college golf, but seven top-10s last season was still impressive. Morrison made the U.S. Walker Cup team and a slimmed-down frame has unlocked some speed and energy. Bennett is the reigning Phil Mickelson Award winner, and after reaching the Round of 16 at both the British and U.S. amateurs, he could enter first-team All-America territory this season; he just needs to win, as that’s been something he’s struggled with this past year. Potter had a strange spring, winning the Hayt and finishing third at the NCAA Reno Regional, but he also had some poor performances while making headlines for the wrong reason – heckling Rory McIlroy and getting kicked out of The Players. He struggled mightily this summer, but the elite golf is in there somewhere. The difference this season for Texas will be depth, as the Longhorns added Comegys, who missed all of last season after wrist surgery. Gilbert played some big rounds and won’t want to lose his starting spot, while freshmen Simmons and Villanueva are more than capable as well. Texas is the NCAA’s active leader in consecutive NCAA Championship appearances with 18; extending that shouldn’t be an issue.

2. Oklahoma State

• Final 2024-25 rank: 2
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Won (fourth in stroke play)
• Returning: Preston Stout (Jr.), Ethan Fang (Jr.), Eric Lee (Jr.), Gaven Lane (Jr.), Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson (Soph.), John Wild (Sr.), Brady Catalano (Fr.), Collin Bond (Fr.)
• Departed: Johnnie Clark, Parker Bunn, Grant Gudgel
• Arriving: Henry Guan (Fr.), Jaxon Bandelier (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Stout, Fang, Lee, Lane, Guan

Scouting report: The dream season was ignited last fall as Oklahoma State won the Stephens Cup to snap a 19-tournament losing skid, the longest in program history. The Cowboys then returned from winter break with a victory at the Amer Ari before later winning four straight events, including Big 12s and the NCAA Urbana Regional. Even with no juniors or seniors in the starting lineup at La Costa, Oklahoma State earned the fourth seed for match play and stormed through the bracket for the program’s 12th national championship. Now, it’s time for the encore. Stout and Fang, both Walker Cuppers, had standout summers, with Stout, a two-time Big 12 individual champion, winning the Northeast Amateur and medaling at the U.S. Amateur before losing in the Round of 16, and Fang capturing the British Amateur and finishing runner-up at the Western. Lee went further than both Stout and Fang at Olympic, reaching the semifinals. Lane and Johnsson might be the incumbents, but if the season-opening Carmel Cup is any indication, they will be pushed. Both Wild and Bond, who redshirted last year, qualified, while Johnsson did not. Speaking of freshmen, Guan has massive potential after reclassifying from the Class of 2026. He was top 10 at the Jones Cup earlier this year and nearly cracked the top 10 at the Southern. Once he breaks into the lineup, it may be hard to unseat him.

3. Auburn

• Final 2024-25 rank: 1
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Quarterfinalist (second in stroke play)
• Returning: Jackson Koivun (Jr.), Josiah Gibert (Jr.), Cayden Pope (Jr.), Billy Davis (Soph.), Tyler Spielman (Soph.)
• Departed: Brendan Valdes, Carson Bacha, Ryan Eshleman, Reed Lotter, Evan Vo
• Arriving: Logan Reilly (Fr.), Jake Albert (Fr.), Jack Roberts (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Koivun, Gilbert, Pope, Reilly, Davis

Scouting report: Auburn appeared to be on its way to a repeat national championship, winning five times in the spring, including stroke play at SECs and the NCAA Auburn Regional, and then placing second in stroke play at La Costa. But then the top-ranked Tigers fell to Virginia in the quarterfinals. “I do think we were the best team last year,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “We proved that in stroke play. But we weren’t as good in match play for whatever reason. Not that they need motivation, but I think they’ll be pretty fired up to play.” With Valdes, Bacha and even Eshleman graduating, there is a huge void to fill, especially in the leadership department. But on the golf course, it helps having the world No. 1 amateur back in junior Jackson Koivun, who notched three top-11 finishes on the PGA Tour this summer while also qualifying for the U.S. Open and nearly making the cut. There isn’t a better combo of driving and putting in college golf than Koivun, who will likely take up his PGA Tour membership next summer. The physically gifted Gilbert has had back-to-back strong postseasons, though he faltered a little under the pressure of trying to make the U.S. Walker Cup team; he changed nationalities from Australia earlier this year. Pope is another stellar ball-striking who will finally get his chance at some of the spotlight, and Reilly was the No. 1 junior in the Class of 2025, according to Golf Channel, and just made match play at Olympic. Billy Davis made All-Region as a freshman despite being the Tigers’ seven man, though he could get pushed by freshman Jake Albert, whose summer included winning the Eastern Amateur. “We have some ultra-talented kids, they’re all just young,” added Clinard, who has no seniors. “We’re gonna find out what they can do.”

4. Florida

• Final 2024-25 rank: 6
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Semifinalist (third in stroke play)
• Returning: Luke Poulter (Jr.), Jack Turner (Jr.), Zack Swanwick (Soph.), Matthew Kress (Sr.), Noah Kent (Jr.), Parker Sands (Soph.), Parker Bell (Sr.), Rylan Shim (Soph.)
• Departed: Ian Gilligan, Ryan Hart
• Arriving: Josh Bai (Fr.), Trevor Gutschewski (Fr.), Parker Severs (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Poulter, Turner, Swanwick, Kress, Bai

Scouting report: For the second straight season, head coach J.C. Deacon arguably has the deepest squad in the country. Last spring, that depth resulted in an NCAA semifinals appearance to cap a season that featured five wins, including an SEC title and NCAA regional crown. While this year’s squad might be even deeper (nine guys qualified for the U.S. Amateur), there is a lack of a clear superstar following the departure of Gilligan to the pros. Poulter and Turner are the most likely No. 1’s. Poulter missed seven months with a stress fracture in his back last year, but returned in a big way in January and now will represent GB&I in the Walker Cup. Turner ascended to No. 10 in WAGR after six top-10s last season, though he’s cooled this summer. Swanwick should be on everyone’s radar as a potential breakout candidate after reaching the semifinals of the Western this summer; the key for him will be to improve around and on the greens. “Ball-striking-wise, man, I don’t ever want to say anyone is the best, but he’s close to one of the best in college golf,” Deacon said of the Kiwi. Kress got off to a rough start last fall, but he rallied with five top-10s in the spring, including a runner-up at regionals a T-9 at La Costa. Everyone on the roster should play some, though let’s tab Bai, who was supposed to enroll last January, and Kent, last year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up who transferred from Iowa last spring, as two to keep an eye on. Kent, in particular, has a massive ceiling thanks to insane speed and great touch; he could flourish with further tutelage under Deacon and assistant Dudley Hart.

5. Oklahoma

• Final 2024-25 rank: 7
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Quarterfinalist (fifth in stroke play)
• Returning: Jase Summy (Sr.), Ryder Cowan (Jr.), Clark Van Gaalen (Soph.), Matthew Troutman (Sr.), PJ Maybank III (Jr.), Asher Whitaker (Soph.), Cameron Cheek (Soph.), Andrew Ramos (Fr.)
• Departed: Drew Goodman, Stephen Campbell Jr., Jaxon Dowell, Connor Henry
• Arriving: Preston Albee (Fr.), Adam Anderson (Fr.), Eli Walker Campbell (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Summy, Cowan, Van Gaalen, Troutman, Maybank

Scouting report: Sure, Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl and his team could’ve been satisfied just by getting back into the match play last May at La Costa. Five wins, including the Amherst Regional, were nice, too. But after losing to Oklahoma State in the NCAA quarterfinals, Hybl was still gutted. “We were good enough to win the whole thing last year,” Hybl said. “If we could’ve gotten over the hump with that first match, that group of guys could’ve been hoisting the trophy.” Of the top five teams in this ranking, the Sooners lost the most. Goodman might’ve been the hardest worker in program history, a three-time All-American who was just as good off the golf course. And Dowell and Campbell, though they played sparingly and weren’t in the postseason lineup, were huge leaders as well. Hybl will need to find that somewhere, but as far as the golf is concerned, he’s got a deep, talented group led by Summy, the Western Amateur champion and Walker Cupper. “If we had a 6-footer to win a national championship, he’s the guy I want putting it,” Hybl said of Summy. Cowan closed the spring strong and is on the verge of taking a big step if he can figure out the putter. Troutman didn’t play after SECs, but Hybl is expecting more of the player who had five top-20s last fall. Van Gaalen is a physical specimen who continues to mature, and he made match play at the U.S. Amateur this summer. Maybank is the fourth returning starter from last season’s NCAA squad, but he didn’t have a great summer and the door is open for some like Cheek, who finished T-12 at Southern Highlands last spring but is ranked outside the top 3,000 in WAGR, and Whitaker, this summer’s Kansas Stroke Play winner.

6. Virginia

• Final 2024-25 rank: 9
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Runner-up (seventh in stroke play)
• Returning: Ben James (Sr.), Bryan Lee (Sr.), Paul Chang (Sr.), Josh Duangmanee (Jr.), Maxi Puregger (Soph.), Sam O’Hara (Jr.)
• Departed: Deven Patel, Henry Daly, Benny Haggin, Matthew Monastero
• Arriving: Michael Lee (Fr.), Alex Wells (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: James, Lee, Chang, Duangmanee, Puregger

Scouting report: Virginia head coach Bowen Sargent liked what he saw when his guys returned to school this month. “They all still seem very hungry,” said Sargent, who led the Cavaliers to their best season ever, winning both the program’s first ACC title and notching its maiden NCAA runner-up finish. “I don’t feel like anybody was happy with the way things ended last year. We have to keep that mentality.” James will arrive on campus after a second straight Walker Cup appearance next month, and he will have massive expectations as the No. 1 player in PGA Tour U. At the start of the year, Bryan Lee might’ve been tabbed to be on that U.S. team as well, but after qualifying for the U.S. Open this summer, he decided to get longer and stronger by spending some time at the Titleist Performance Institute. One of college golf’s best putters, returned to make the Sweet 16 at the Western, though he then struggled off the tee to miss the U.S. Amateur cut considerably. This is Chang’s final go, the former club golfer continuing to refine his game and gain confidence. And Duangmanee, who made the Round of 16 at Olympic, is another player with a pro-level game and gives Virginia four players in the top 50 of WAGR. The fifth spot is between Maxi Puregger, who was subbed in at nationals and won two international events this summer, and Michael Lee, Bryan’s younger brother.

7. Ole Miss

• Final 2024-25 rank: 4
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: Semifinalist (eighth in stroke play)
• Returning: Michael La Sasso (Sr.), Cameron Tankersley (Sr.), Cohen Trolio (Sr.), Tom Fischer (Sr.), Collins Trolio (Jr.), Jacob Blanton (Soph.)
• Departed: Kye Meeks, Aidan Cohl, Davis Gochenouer
• Arriving: Finn Meister (Fr.), Daniel Tolf (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: La Sasso, Tankersley, Coh. Trolio, Fischer, Col. Trolio

Scouting report: The Rebels’ biggest takeaway from reaching the semifinals at La Costa in just Ole Miss’ third trip to the NCAA Championship in over a decade under head coach Chris Malloy? It was easier than they thought. “We are good enough to be as good as anybody, even without our best stuff,” Malloy said. With only Meeks graduating, that’s still the belief. La Sasso, the defending NCAA individual champion, has nine top-5s in 22 career starts for Ole Miss, though he’ll likely miss and event or two because of Walker Cup and the Masters. Surprisingly, La Sasso, who was T-44 at the 3M Open to cap a five-start summer on the PGA Tour, was the only returning Rebel starter to miss match play at the U.S. Amateur. Tankersley and Cohen Trolio reached the Round of 32 at Olympic while Fischer also made match play. The big question – and it’s a big one – is who the fifth guy will be. Collins Trolio is the leader in the clubhouse, but La Sasso’s absence for the fall-opening Visit Knoxville Collegiate will allow one of the other guys to make his case. “It’s going to be a roller coaster,” Malloy said, “but once we get to postseason, I think we’re going to be really good.”

8. LSU

• Final 2024-25 rank: 8
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: DNQ
• Returning: Arni Sveinsson (Soph.), Jay Mendell (Jr.), Alfons Bondesson (Sr.), Noah McWilliams (Jr.), Matthew Dodd-Berry (Sr.), Dylan Kayne (Soph.), Luke Haskew (Sr.)
• Departed: Algot Kleen, Nicholas Arcement, Holden Webb, Connor Cassano
• Arriving: Dan Hayes (Fr.), Hudson Lawson (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Sveinsson, Mendell, Bondesson, Hayes, McWilliams

Scouting report: The biggest shocker last season was LSU failing to advance through the NCAA Amherst Regional as the No. 6 team in the country. “What hurt is I think we had a national championship team,” head coach Jake Amos said. “But a good learning experience, and that’s what I’m going to talk about, like let’s learn from our mistakes and use it as motivation, get the elephant out of the room and use it a fuel for as long as we can.” Amos will need to replace Kleen, a second-team All-American, but he also still possesses one of the nation’s best in Sveinsson, who made a strong case to be national freshman of the year last season with six top-6s, including a win. “We think Arni had the best freshman year in the nation, so he’s got a lot to prove,” Amos said. Behind Sveinsson is Mendell, the heart of this squad who posted four top-10s as the top holdover from the previous coaching staff. Bondesson was third on the team in scoring average last season after transferring from Missouri while Dodd-Berry has the talent to be this team’s No. 3; maybe not having any more Walker Cup pressure will help him unlock the game that made him a standout for Amos at ETSU. There are big expectations for Hayes to play every event. As for McWilliams, he’s the ultimate wild card. He wasn’t ranked in WAGR at this time last year, but he latched onto Kleen and Sveinsson last season to transform from a raw talent who ignored most of the low-hanging fruit to now the No. 355 amateur in the world who has gotten some of the details down and who notched a couple nice top-5s in summer amateur competition, including a fourth at the Monroe.

9. Texas Tech

• Final 2024-25 rank: 21
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: 10th
• Returning: Connor Graham (Soph.), Tim Wiedemeyer (Jr.), Ben Gregg (Jr.), Price Hill (Jr.), Sean Keeling (Soph.), Luke D’Alise (Soph.)
• Departed: Calum Scott, Matthew Comegys, Charlie DeLong
• Arriving: Adam Bresnu (Jr.; transferred from Odessa College), Simon Hovdal (Fr.), Brady McHenry (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Graham, Wiedemeyer, Bresnu, Gregg, Hovdal

Scouting report: The Red Raiders are poised to not just jump back into the top 20 of the national rankings but the top 10. They overcame losing Comegys for the entire season to wrist surgery and Scott’s struggles off the tee to eventually finish 10th at the NCAA Championship. So, with those two guys gone, there isn’t a feeling that there’s much to replace. Graham, a two-time GB&I Walker Cupper already, is supremely talented from a ball-striking perspective, and if he can keep maturing emotionally, he could be a first-team All-American. Wiedemeyer is getting closer to the territory, too, and this summer he tied for 17th at the DP World Tour’s BMW International Open before making the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur. Bresnu, the NJCAA’s Nicklaus Award winner last season at Odessa College, is nearly top 100 in the world amateur rankings after a nice summer (T-4 at Northeast, Round of 16 at North and South) and won the team’s qualifier for the Carmel Cup. Speaking of that qualifier, D’Alise, a walk-on who didn’t come close to playing last year, surprisingly earned the final spot over both freshmen. But as the season progresses, expect at least Hovdal, who shares a coach with Ludvig Aberg, to solidify his starting spot. Gregg showed glimpses last season, specifically with six under-par final rounds, and maybe his Round of 16 appearance at the British Amateur is a sign that he’s starting to put more of it together.

10. Vanderbilt

• Final 2024-25 rank: 16
• 2025 NCAA Championship finish: T-13
• Returning: Wells Williams (Sr.), Ryan Downes (Soph.), Chase Nevins (Jr.), John Broderick (Sr.), Bowen Ballis (Soph.), Ben Loomis (Sr.)
• Departed: Jackson Van Paris, Gordon Sargent, Rowan Sullivan
• Arriving: Carlos Astiazaran (Jr.; transferred from Pacific), Michael Riebe (Fr.), Will Hartman (Fr.), Jon Ed Steed (Fr.)
• Projected starting lineup: Williams, Astiazaran, Downes, Riebe, Nevins

Scouting report: It was an emotional season for the Commodores, who watched one of the program’s best players ever, Sargent, struggle so badly that he didn’t play in the postseason. Because of that, it wasn’t as easy to enjoy a surprising T-13 finish at the NCAA Championship. Van Paris also graduated, so there’s a lot from a leadership perspective to replace this year. Williams and Astiazaran, a workhorse transfer from Pacific (Vanderbilt’s first portal addition ever), will be those replacements. Williams won twice last season and started the summer strong with a T-8 at the Northeast, but his Walker Cup hopes crumbled with a late stumble in stroke play at the Western and T-129 finish at Olympic. Astiazaran nearly made the Round of 64 at the U.S. Amateur to cap a summer that included two wins, most notably a breakout win at the North and South Amateur. Downes and Nevins were thrown into the fire last season as underclassmen, with Downes, a deft putter who straightened out his driver last fall, tying for sixth at regionals and nearly posting a top 30 at La Costa. They both made match play at the U.S. Amateur while Downes added a win this summer at the Mass State Amateur. Speaking of freshmen, head coach Scott Limbaugh brings in another stellar class. Riebe and Steed, a super raw player, will both play at Pebble to open the season while Hartman is also highly ranked. “That was a monster class,” Limbaugh said. “We knew we needed a huge one, and it turned out to be that way. … To have quality depth again is something I’m really pumped about.”

Nos. 11-30

11. Illinois: Head coach Mike Small went to work in the portal this summer to replace departed All-American Jackson Buchanan. Junior Max Herendeen is still the No. 1, especially after his four summer top-12s, including Round of 16 showings at the Western and U.S. Amateur. And senior Ryan Voois, ranked 41st in WAGR, will be a reliable No. 2. But in step Utah Valley transfer Dane Huddleston, who won five times last season (tied for most in D-I), and Little Rock transfer Freddie Turnell, who won The Goodwin last spring. With sophomore Jake Birdwell nearly making match play at the Western. After losing back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time since 2007-08 and missing the 54-hole cut at nationals last spring, this is a very motivated Illini bunch.

12. Arizona State: Losing first-team All-American talents in Josele Ballester and Preston Summerhays won’t be easy, though the cupboard isn’t bare from the team that won stroke play at La Costa last May. Junior Connor Williams led the Sun Devils with three top-10s from conference through nationals, though he had a tough summer. Senior Michael Mjaaseth is now this team’s top player in WAGR, at No. 20, after winning a pro event in Norway instead of playing the U.S. Amateur, where junior Fifa Laopakdee, a two-time winner in college last season, was the only Arizona State player to make the Round of 64. The rest of the lineup is unproven, though sophomore Peer Wernicke, who tied for eighth at regionals as a freshman, will get plenty of opportunity. Freshman Boston Bracken returns from his mission to join fellow newcomers Bowen Mauss and Kent Karlstrom.

13. Tennessee: It was a disappointing for the Vols. They didn’t win a tournament, they beat just two teams at SECs, and they didn’t make it to Monday at the NCAA Championship. There were a few minor departures this summer, but the core is back. Senior Lance Simpson, who had four top-6s last season, qualified for the U.S. Open this summer before winning the Trans-Miss, though he struggled at the Western and U.S. Amateur. Not struggling at Olympic was sophomore Jackson Herrington, who lost in the final. If Herrington can continue that kind of play this season, the Vols can contend for the final eight at La Costa. Junior Bruce Murphy and Auburn transfer Reed Lotter should also play a ton while freshman Chase Kyes could be a big challenge to senior Josh Hill for that fifth spot.

14. Arkansas: Perhaps this ranking is aggressive for a team that finished last season ranked outside the top 50, but head coach Brad McMakin has done a nice job reloading via the portal. Cam Smith (Georgia), Niilo Maki-Petaja (Louisiana Tech) and Alex Yang (Stanford, though after a year off) are all potential starters, though it’s a crowded roster with top-200 amateurs junior Thomas Curry, sophomores Erich Fortlage and Gerardo Gomez, and senior John Daly II also in the mix, plus highly regarded freshman Willie Gordon. Daly has asserted himself as this team’s No. 1 with a breakout summer. Boosted by improved ball-striking, Daly won the Southern Amateur, was third at the Northeast and made the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur.

15. Pepperdine: The Waves are back – and poised to better last spring’s 12th-place finish at La Costa. Head coach Michael Beard basically traded Kris Kuvaas (transferred to Texas A&M) for Georgia Tech’s Carson Kim and a couple freshmen. Senior Mahanth Chirravuri had seven top-10s last season and after summer highlighted by a Round of 16 run at the U.S. Amateur, he should at least equal that this season. Senior Brady Siravo, junior Willy Walsh and Kim are all capable of winning college tournaments while there are options for the fifth spot, maybe sophomore Byungho Lee, a former top recruit.

16. Florida State: We’ll see what the Seminoles are made of in this post-Luke Clanton era. Florida State had a heart-wrenching ending to last season, as the reigning NCAA runners-up failed to make it back to match play, finishing ninth by a shot. Gray Albright also graduated, and it will be difficult to replace his contributions on and off the course as well. That said, there’s lots of talent still around, mainly junior Tyler Weaver, a GB&I Walker Cupper whose breakout year has him all the way to 10th in the world amateur rankings. Sophomore Wilmer Edero could surprise while NAIA player of the year Jack Whaley also arrives from Dalton State.

17. Texas A&M: It’s going to be difficult to replace NCAA runner-up Phichaksn Maichon and Michael Heidelbaugh, who combined for 13 top-10s last season. But head coach Brian Kortan is counting on sophomore Wheaton Ennis developing into an All-American, which is very possible, and junior Aaron Pounds building off a breakout sophomore spring, where he was T-7 at regionals. Senior Jacob Sosa is a question mark, though when he’s on the right course, he’s dangerous. There are two nice newcomers, too, in Pepperdine transfer Kris Kuvaas and freshmen Shiv Parmar, who made the Round of 32 at the U.S. Junior this summer.

18. North Carolina: The Tar Heels rode Haskins Award winner David Ford all season, but at regionals, their lack of contribution behind him left them sixth in Urbana and a spot out of advancing to nationals. Ford and his twin brother, Maxwell, have graduated, and the team is now in the hands of Northwestern transfer Niall Shiels Donegan, who made an exciting run to the U.S. Amateur semifinals and earned himself a GB&I Walker Cup spot in the process. There’s a lot of untapped, young potential behind him with sophomore Sihan Sandhu (T-3 last spring at ACCs) and freshman Carson Bertagnole (fifth at Sage Valley, Round of 32 at U.S. Junior) among those most likely to make the biggest strides this season.

19. Arizona: The Wildcats were the No. 11 team in the country after they won stroke-play titles at the Windon Memorial and St. Andrews Links Collegiate. But then their best play, Tiger Christensen, surprisingly turned pro after playing DP World Tour Q-School. While Arizona dropped to No. 30 by the end of the spring, it was still a spot out of getting through regionals. Now, head coach Jim Anderson returns European Amateur champion Filip Jakubcik, who’s vaulted all the way to seventh in the world, and fellow senior Zach Pollo, who qualified for the U.S. Open this summer, as well as junior Tony Xiong and sophomore Taishi Moto, who broke out this summer with a T-3 at the Southern Amateur and Sweet 16 showing at the Western. Moto will miss the fall to play some events for the Japan national team, but that will give Arizona a chance to figure out things on the back end.

20. BYU: The Cougars have a ton of momentum after winning an NCAA regional and posting the team’s best match-play era finish at nationals (T-13). Cole Ponich and Zac Jones are big losses, but the arrival of freshman Kihei Akina, who was a North and South semifinalist and recently won the Utah Open, is massive. Slot Akina in atop a BYU lineup that includes sophomore Peter Kim, and juniors Simon Kown and Tyson Shelley. The fifth spot could be anyone’s, including Oklahoma State transfer Parker Bunn and Jackson Mauss, who redshirted last year as a freshman. This is a young team that will only get better when Cooper Jones returns from his mission in Peru next season.

21. Georgia Tech: All that’s changed from the team that lost a playoff to Wake Forest to make the final 15 at La Costa is the exit of Carson Kim (transferred to Pepperdine) and the arrival of freshman Rawson Hardy, who Georgia Tech plucked from the state of Utah, much like it did a few years ago for Connor Howe. Senior Hiroshi Tai could not build off his 2024 NCAA individual title as he posted just two top-10s last season and didn’t have a great summer. Not many Jackets did, though perhaps junior Kale Fontenot can be the breakout player after a T-12 at the Southern and nearly making match play at the Western.

22. Utah: Ranked 10th in the nation for much of the spring, the Utes ran out of steam at regionals, missing nationals by a spot. That shouldn’t happen this season as Utah returns four starters, including the dynamic one-two punch of juniors Gabriel Palacios and Sergo Jimenez, both ranked top 75 in WAGR. The most pressing task is replacing NCAA Bremerton Regional champ Braxton Watts, who graduated.

23. Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish won twice last fall before the schedule got tougher, then capped the spring with a ninth at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. But everyone is back, including the best player in program history, senior Jacob Modleski, the reigning ACC champion who made the U.S. Walker Cup team thanks to a summer that featured making the Western semifinals and U.S. Amateur quarterfinals. Pavel Tsar is an impact freshman who can easily challenge for a spot in the starting five.

24. Alabama: The Tide seem to finally be finding their bearings after the midseason departure of Nick Dunlap two seasons ago. They didn’t make the NCAA Championship last May, but this was still the 18th-ranked team in the nation. Graduated are Walker Cupper Dominic Clemons and Jones Free, who both played every event last season. But senior Jonathan Griz has seven world-ranked top-15s this year and is poised to be head coach Jay Seawell’s No. 1 guy. Transfers Luke Powell (UCLA) and Brycen Jones (Georgia Southern) are nice additions, though where this team can really take off is if sophomore Nicholas Gross can replicate his junior-golf success after a season under his belt.

25. Cal: Despite a coaching change and the departure of studs Ethan Fang and Eric Lee to Oklahoma State, the Bears, under first-year head coach Michael Wilson, found their groove late, placing sixth at ACCs, fifth at regionals and nearly making the 54-hole cut at La Costa. Now, four of five starters return, including senior Charlie Berridge, the team’s leader in scoring average last season, and sophomore Eric Zhou, who is ranked No. 111 in WAGR. Xihaun Chang arrives, though far from the player he was when he was ranked 27th in the world and reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Junior last year.

26. Stanford: The young Cardinal beat just two teams at the ACC Championship before placing eighth at regionals. Then Logan Kim transferred to UCLA this summer. But head coach Conrad Ray still has the bulk of his roster back, including sophomores T.K. Chantananuwat and Jay Leng, who had just two top-15s apiece last season but were highly accomplished junior players. Senior Nathan Wang was a stabilizing force last season and should fill that role again. Senior Dean Greyserman could be a nice surprise after playing just three times last season but entering his final year as this summer’s Met Amateur champion.

27. South Carolina: Year 1 under head coach Rob Bradley was a massive success as the Gamecocks were a top-25 program and finished 19th at the NCAA Championship. There is a hole to fill with the graduation of Nathan Franks, but junior Frankie Harris (five top-5s last season) remains atop a lineup that also includes senior Zach Adams and sophomore Marek Fleming, who could be a breakout candidate after a solid summer that ended with him nearly making match play at the U.S. Amateur.

28. UNLV: How could the Rebs be better than last season’s 34th-ranked team that finished T-23 at nationals but lost Caden Fioroni to the pros? Head coach Jean-Paul Hebert feels that way as he returns his other four starters, including sophomore Zach Little (T-12 at European Amateur), and adds top-300 transfers Mason Snyder (Loyola Marymount) and Ryan Abuan (San Diego), plus French freshman Aaron van Hauwe, who will miss the first couple weeks of the season to play the French Open on the DP World Tour.

29. Georgia: The Bulldogs return four of five postseason starters from last year’s team that finished 22nd at the NCAA Championship. Though Buck Brumlow’s graduation will be tough to replace, Georgia still boasts senior Carter Loflin, who posted a couple top-3s this summer (Dogwood, Georgia Amateur) and nearly made match play at the Western. Junior Grayson Wood is also a top-200 amateur while two newcomers should make immediate impacts in freshman J.D. Culbreth, who grew up playing with U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, and D-II transfer Sungyeop Cho, a first-team All-American with Colorado Christian last season.

30. Clemson: The Tigers finished last season ranked 48th by Scoreboard for the second straight year, though unlike 2024, when they won regionals, they finished ACCs below .500 and missed qualifying for a regional for the first time in program history. In steps freshman Jackson Byrd, the nephew of head coach Jordan Byrd. The AJGA All-American should instantly replace the graduated Andrew Swanson atop Clemson’s lineup ahead of seniors Thomas Higgins and Lucas Augustsson, and junior Oscar Holm-Bredkjaer, who won the Dutch International Junior this summer. Monroe Invitational runner-up Colin Salema likely has a starting spot as well.

Golf Channel’s Preseason Top 30

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma State
3. Auburn
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma
6. Virginia
7. Ole Miss
8. LSU
9. Texas Tech
10. Vanderbilt
11. Illinois
12. Arizona State
13. Tennessee
14. Arkansas
15. Pepperdine
16. Florida State
17. Texas A&M
18. North Carolina
19. Arizona
20. BYU
21. Georgia Tech
22. Utah
23. Notre Dame
24. Alabama
25. Cal
26. Stanford
27. South Carolina
28. UNLV
29. Georgia
30. Clemson

Next 10: 31. Duke, 32. SMU, 33. Wake Forest, 34. Charlotte, 35. Mississippi State, 36. San Diego State, 37. New Mexico, 38. Oregon State, 39. Florida Gulf Coast, 40. UCLA

Golf Channel’s Preseason All-Americans

FIRST TEAM
1. Jackson Koivun, Jr., Auburn
2. Preston Stout, Jr., Oklahoma State
3. Ben James, Sr., Virginia
4. Jase Summy, Sr., Oklahoma
5. Ethan Fang, Jr., Oklahoma State
6. Christiaan Maas, Sr., Texas
7. Michael La Sasso, Sr., Ole Miss
8. Tommy Morrison, Sr., Texas
9. Max Herendeen, Jr., Illinois
10. Arni Sveinsson, Soph., LSU

SECOND TEAM
11. Daniel Bennett, Soph., Texas
12. Jacob Modleski, Sr., Notre Dame
13. Eric Lee, Jr., Oklahoma State
14. Josiah Gilbert, Jr., Auburn
15. Filip Jakubcik, Sr., Arizona
16. Wells Williams, Sr., Vanderbilt
17. Tyler Weaver, Jr., Florida State
18. Michael Mjaaseth, Sr., Arizona State
19. Luke Poulter, Sr., Florida
20. Cameron Tankersley, Sr., Ole Miss

THIRD TEAM
21. Connor Graham, Soph., Texas Tech
22. Bryan Lee, Sr., Virginia
23. Tim Wiedemeyer, Sr., Texas Tech
24. Lance Simpson, Sr., Tennessee
25. Jack Turner, Jr., Florida
26. Kihei Akina, Fr., BYU
27. William Sides, Sr., SMU
28. Mahanth Chirravuri, Sr., Pepperdine
29. Frankie Harris, Sr., South Carolina
30. Zack Swanwick, Soph., Florida

HONORABLE MENTION
31. Garrett Endicott, Sr., Mississippi State
32. Ryder Cowan, Jr., Oklahoma
33. Bryan Kim, Jr., Duke
34. Luke Potter, Sr., Texas
35. Clark Van Gaalen, Soph., Oklahoma
36. Gabriel Palacios, Jr., Utah
37. Connor Williams, Jr., Arizona State
38. Niall Shiels Donegan, Jr., North Carolina
39. John Daly II, Sr., Arkansas
40. Wheaton Ennis, Soph., Texas A&M

Golf Channel’s Preseason All-Freshmen teams

FIRST TEAM
Kihei Akina, BYU
Minh Nguyen, Oregon State
Michael Riebe, Vanderbilt
Logan Reilly, Auburn
Henry Guan, Oklahoma State

SECOND TEAM
Dan Hayes, LSU
Simon Hovdal, Texas Tech
J.D. Culbreth, Georgia
Jackson Byrd, Clemson
Chase Kyes, Tennessee

Circled on the calendar

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
Aug. 29-31 – Carmel Cup, Pebble Beach, California
Sept. 5-7 – Visit Knoxville Collegiate, Loudon, Tennessee
Sept. 6-7 – Sahalee Players Championship, Sammamish, Washington
Sept. 15-16 – Invitational at the Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tennessee
Sept. 15-17 – Jackson T. Stephens Cup, Lake Bluff, Illinois
Sept. 19-21 – Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, Olympia Fields, Illinois
Sept. 29-30 – Ben Hogan Collegiate, Fort Worth, Texas
Sept. 29-30 – Bryan Bros. Collegiate, West Columbia, South Carolina

OCTOBER
Oct. 5-7 – Marquette Intercollegiate, Erin Hills, Wisconsin
Oct. 6-7 – Fighting Irish Classic, Notre Dame, Indiana
Oct. 6-7 – Hamptons Intercollegiate, Southampton, New York
Oct. 13-15 – The Bryson Invitational, Charleston, South Carolina
Oct. 18-20 – Fallen Oak Collegiate, Saucier, Mississippi
Oct. 19-21 – Williams Cup, Wilmington, North Carolina
Oct. 24-26 – GC of Georgia Collegiate, Alpharetta, Georgia
Oct. 27-28 – The Clerico, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oct. 27-29 – Ka’anapali Classic, Maui, Hawaii
Oct. 27-29 – East Lake Cup, Atlanta

JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Jan. 26-27 – Arizona N.I.T., Tucson, Arizona
Feb. 2-3 – Sea Best Invitational, Atlantic Beach, Florida
Feb. 5-7 – Amer Ari Invitational, Waimea, Hawaii
Feb. 9-11 – Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Feb. 14-15 – Gators Invitational, Gainesville, Florida
Feb. 16-18 – Watersound Invitational, Panama City, Florida
Feb. 16-18 – The Prestige, La Quinta, California

MARCH
March 1-3 – Southern Highlands Collegiate, Las Vegas
March 1-3 – Cabo Collegiate, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
March 7-9 – The Hayt, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
March 9-10 – Desimone Invitational, Daly City, California
March 16-17 – Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate, Tucson, Arizona
March 16-18 – Pauma Valley Invitational, Pauma Valley, California
March 20-22 – Linger Longer Invitational, Eatonton, Georgia
March 23-24 – Valspar Collegiate, Palm City, Florida
March 30-31 – Maridoe Intercollegiate, Carrollton, Texas

APRIL
April 3-5 – Mason Rudolph Championship, Franklin, Tennessee
April 4-5 – Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, Augusta, Georgia
April 5-7 – Calusa Cup, Naples, Florida
April 12-14 – Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, Charlottesville, Virginia
April 13-14 – Mossy Oak Collegiate, West Point, Mississippi
April 13-14 – Mountaineer Invitational, Bridgeport, West Virginia
April 13-14 – The Ford Collegiate, Richmond Hill, Georgia
April 22-26 – SEC Championship, St. Simons Island, Georgia
April 23-27 – ACC Championship, Panama City, Florida
April 27-29 – Big 12 Championship, Hutchinson, Kansas
May 1-3 – Big Ten Championship, North Plains, Oregon

NCAA REGIONALS
May 18-20
Host sites (host school): University of Georgia GC, Athens, Georgia; Bermuda Run CC, Bermuda Run, North Carolina; Traditions Club, Bryan, Texas; OSU GC (Scarlet), Columbus, Ohio; Trysting Tree GC, Corvallis, Oregon; The Gallery GC, Marana, Arizona

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
May 29-June 3
Host site: Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (North), Carlsbad, California