- Defending HBCU national champion Jackson State Tigers receive all but one first place vote
- No. 4 Southern receives the other first place vote
- No. 2 South Carolina State, No. 3 North Carolina Central, and No. 4 Johnson C. Smith begin the preseason where each was voted in the final 2024 Media poll
- Eight of the top 10 teams finished in the top 10 in the final 2024 poll
- Albany State has been picked to win the SIAC and begins the preseason at No. 10. The Golden Rams did not place in the top 10 in the final 2024 poll
- The Alabama State Hornets are the other team not to finish in the final 2024 poll, but start the preseason at No. 8. The Hornets have been picked to finish third in the SWAC East2025 Preseason HBCU Football Media Poll
No. Team W-L Pts 2024 Final Poll Rank 1 Jackson State (22) 12-2 220 1 2 South Carolina State 9-3 188 2 3 North Carolina Central 8-3 170 4 4 Southern (1) 8-5 137 5 5 Florida A&M 7-5 121 8 6 Tennessee State 9-4 99 3 7 Virginia Union 10-4 85 6 8 Alabama State 7-5 50 NR 9 Johnson C. Smith 8-2 34 9 10 Albany State 6-4 32 NR Others receiving votes: Miles (10-3) 28, Morgan State (6-6) 20, Alcorn State (6-6) 16, Clark Atlanta (7-3-1) 14, Virginia State (7-4) 13, Norfolk State (4-8) 10, Alabama A&M (6-6) 6, Howard (4-8) 6, Prairie View A&M (5-7) 5, Tuskegee (5-6) 4, Texas Southern (5-6) 3, Hampton (5-7) 1, Winston-Salem State (7-3) 1.
(1st place votes in parentheses)
The HBCU Media Poll is administered by BOXTOROW and in its 19th year, is voted on by media members around the country who cover HBCU football.
