AP All-SEC: QB Diego Pavia and coach Clark Lea land top honors for surprising Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, his coach Clark Lea and Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell won top individual honors from The Associated Press for the 2025 Southeastern Conference season.

In results released Wednesday, the AP named Pavia the conference's offensive player of the year, Lea the coach of the year for a second straight season and Howell the defensive player of the year.

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, a sophomore who transferred from Louisiana-Monroe, was named the league's newcomer of the year. Tennessee receiver Braylon Staley was named freshman of the year.

Pavia, a Heisman Trophy finalist who led the Commodores to their first 10-win season in school history, completed 71% of his passes for 3,192 yards. He accounted for 4,018 total yards and 36 touchdowns, including 27 passing. He led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally with a 171.5 passer rating.

Lea has been instrumental in Pavia's development and the rise of the program. Vandy has 17 wins over the last two seasons — the team's best two-year stretch in nearly a century — and have sold out games along the way. That success made Lea a candidate at other programs and prompted a contract extension last month.

Lea also was named the SEC's coach of the year in 2024 after leading the 'Dores to a 7-6 mark.

Howell leads the league and is tied for fourth nationally with 11 1/2 sacks. He has 15 1/2 sacks in two years with the Aggies. He spent his first two seasons at Bowling Green.

Hardy led the SEC with 1,560 yards rushing, including 300 against Mississippi State last month, and scored 16 touchdowns. Staley caught 64 passes for 806 yards and six TDs.

The 2025 Associated Press All-SEC team, as selected by media members who regularly cover the league. Positional players are listed alphabetically with name, school, height, weight, class and hometown; “u-” denotes unanimous selections:

QB — Diego Pavia (u), Vanderbilt, 6-0, 207, Gr., Albuquerque, New Mexico

RB — Ahmad Hardy (u), Missouri, 5-10, 210, So., Oma, Mississippi

RB — Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss, 5-11, 210, So., Dallas

WR — Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, 6-5, 200, R-Jr., Midland, Texas

WR — Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma, 5-10, 182, R-Jr., Austin, Texas

TE — Eli Stowers (u), Vanderbilt, 6-4, 235, Gr., Denton, Texas

OT — Cayden Green, Missouri, 6-5, 324, Jr., Lee’s Summit, Missouri

OT — Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, 6-7, 366, Jr., Des Moines, Iowa

OT — Keagen Trost, Missouri, 6-4, 316, Gr., Kankakee, Illinois

OG — DJ Campbell, Texas, 6-3, 321, Sr., Arlington, Texas

OG — Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee, 6-2, 330, R-Jr., Long Beach, California

C — Jake Slaughter, Florida, 6-5, 303, R-Sr., Sparr, Florida

DE/Edge — Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, 6-2, 248, R-Sr., Kansas City, Missouri

DE/Edge — Colin Simmons, Texas, 6-3, 240, So., Dallas

DT — Will Echoles, Ole Miss, 6-3, 310, So., Houston

DT — Christen Miller, Georgia, 6-4, 310, R-Jr., Ellenwood, Georgia

LB — CJ Allen, Georgia, 6-1, 235, Jr., Barnesville, Georgia

LB — Xavier Atkins, Auburn, 6-0, 210, So., Houston

LB — Anthony Hill Jr., Texas, 6-3, 238, Jr., Denton, Texas

CB — Mansoor Delane, LSU, 6-0, 190, Sr., Silver Spring, Maryland

CB — Daylen Everette, Georgia, 6-1, 190, Sr., Norfolk, Virginia

S — A.J. Haulcy, LSU, 6-0, 222, Sr., Houston

S — Bray Hubbard, Alabama, 6-2, 213, Jr., Ocean Springs, Mississippi

PK — Tate Sandell, Oklahoma, 5-9, 182, R-Jr., Port Neches, Texas

P — Grayson Miller, Oklahoma, 5-10, 200, Jr., Edmond, Oklahoma

All-purpose — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M, 5-11, 190, Jr., Chalotte, North Carolina

QB — Ty Simpson, Alabama, 6-2, 208, R-Jr., Martin, Tennessee

RB — Jadan Baugh, Florida, 6-1, 231, So., Atlanta

RB — Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas, 6-2, 228, Sr., Utica, New York

WR — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M, 5-11, 190, Jr., Chalotte, North Carolina

WR — Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State, 5-9, 170, Sr., Spearman, Texas

TE — Rohon Jones, Arkansas, 6-3, 242, Sr., Montreal, Quebec, Canada

OT — Cayden Green, Missouri, 6-5, 324, Jr., Lee’s Summit, Missouri

OT — Trevor Goosby, Texas, 6-7, 312, So., Melissa, Texas

OG — Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M, 6-5, 325, Gr., Dallas

OG — Micah Morris, Georgia, 6-4, 330, R-Sr., Kingsland, Georgia

C — Drew Bobo, Georgia, 6-5, 305, Athens, Georgia

DE/Edge — Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas, 6-6, 275, Jr., North Little Rock, Arkansas

DE/Edge — R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma, 6-2, 249, Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Florida

DT — Gracen Halton, Oklahoma, 6-2, 292, Sr., San Diego, California

DT — Chris McClellan, Missouri, 6-4, 323, Sr., North Tulsa, Oklahoma

LB — Josiah Trotter, Missouri, 6-2, 237, R-So., Philadelphia

LB — Taurean York, Texas A&M, 5-10, 227, Jr., Temple, Texas

LB — Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma, 6-1, 227, R-Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma

CB — Colton Hood, Tennessee, 6-0, 195, R-So., McDonough, Georgia

CB — Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia, 6-0, 180, R-Fr., New Haven, Connecticut

S — Michael Taaffe, Texas, 6-0, 189, Sr., Austin, Texas

S — Wydett Williams Jr., Ole Miss, 6-2, 210, Sr., Lake Providence, Louisiana

PK — Peyton Woodring, Georgia, 5-10, 190, Lafayette, Louisiana

P — Brett Thorson, Georgia, 6-2, 235, Sr., Melbourne, Australia

All-purpose — Ryan Niblett, Texas, 5-10, 187, So., Houston

Coach of the Year — Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

Offensive Player of the Year — QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Defensive Player of the Year — DE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

Newcomer of the year — RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

Freshman of the year — WR Braylon Staley, Tennessee

Bob Ballou, CBS Austin; Armando Barry, 40/29 sports; Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle; Robbie Faulk, Starkville Daily News; Mike Griffith, Atlanta-Journal Constitution; John Hale, Lexington Herald-Leader; Eli Hoff, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Michael Katz, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal; Nick Kelly, AL.com; Julian Mininsohn, WKRN-TV; David Paschall, Chattanooga Times Free Press; Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel; Jacob Waters, Opelika-Auburn News; Mason Young, Tulsa World.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) runs the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Charleston Southern, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso and a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday raised further questions about his future.

Arsenal remains perfect in this season's competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao.

Alonso had faced reports this week that he had lost control of the locker room and is likely to face intense speculation over his position after a latest defeat. It’s now just two wins in eight games for Madrid and back-to-back home losses.

There were jeers inside the Bernabeu at the final whistle.

“We know it’s a tough moment for us and for the coach,” Madrid winger Rodrygo said. “Things are not going our way and I wanted to show that we are behind our the coach. He has been trying. I wanted to show that we are together and we need to be united to keep moving forward and achieve our goals.”

Rodrygo had put Madrid in front in the 28th minute, but goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland sealed victory for City.

Alonso looked frustrated on the sidelines as he watched his blunt attack waste chances to salvage something in the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappé, who was an unused substitute.

Vinicius Junior failed to hit the target with two chances from close range and Jude Bellingham lifted another effort over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Madrid is seventh in the standings, with only the top eight teams automatically advancing to the round of 16.

Top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League, too, Arsenal swept aside Club Brugge to maintain its 100% record in Europe.

Noni Madueke scored twice and Gabriel Martinelli got the other for Mikel Arteta's team.

PSG couldn't find a winner in Bilbao, but with 13 points after six games, the French giant has already equaled the total amount it picked up in the league phase last season before going on to win the trophy.

Italian champion Napoli lost 2-0 at Benfica, while Weston McKennie was on target for Juventus in a 2-0 win at Pafos.

Alejandro Grimaldo made the difference again for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring in the 88th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

A hero of Leverkusen’s surprise win at Man City last month, Grimaldo surged into the penalty area to level the score.

Leverkusen took an early lead when Bruno Guimaraes deflected Robert Andrich’s header into his own net. Nick Woltemade won a penalty that Anthony Gordon converted in the 51st before 19-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley headed Newcastle in front.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand missed the game for personal reasons, the club said an hour before kickoff.

Jeers rang out at full time at Borussia Dortmund after Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed a 2-2 draw, equalizing twice after Julian Brandt goals for Dortmund.

The result helps neither team, with Dortmund’s chances of direct qualification for the round of 16 taking a dent. Bodo/Glimt has three draws but no wins in its debut Champions League season.

Ajax scored three goals late in the game to deny Qarabag a surprise win in one of the early kickoffs.

Four-time European champion Ajax twice trailed against its Azerbaijani opponent, but fought back to win 4-2 in Baku.

Qarabag has been one of the surprise packages in this season’s competition and led after 10 minutes through Camilo Duran. Matheus Silva scored two minutes into the second half to make it 2-1 after Kasper Dolberg had leveled for Ajax.

But Ajax powered back with three goals in 11 minutes. Oscar Gloukh scored in the 79th and 90th, with Anton Gaaei getting the other in the 82nd.

Copenhagen also scored late to win 3-2 at Villarreal.

Substitute Andreas Cornelius struck in the 90th to seal victory in a game where Copenhagen had twice been pegged back after taking the lead.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham reacts after missing a chance during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe sits at the bench before a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso sits at the bench before a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Copenhagen's Elias Achouri, right, challenges for the ball with Villarreal's Ilias Akhomach during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Villareal and Copenhagen in Villareal, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Ajax's Kasper Dolberg reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Ajax in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso takes his seat on the bench before the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)