2024-25 NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: September Edition

As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings are somewhere between the CSCAA-style dual meet rankings and a pure prediction of NCAA finish order. SwimSwam’s rankings take into account how a team looks at the moment, while keeping the end of the season in mind through things like a team’s previous trajectory and NCAA scoring potential. These rankings are by nature subjective, and a jumping-off point for discussion. If you disagree with any team’s ranking, feel free to make your case in our comments section.

James Sutherland, Braden Keith, Spencer Penland, Robert Gibbs, Yanyan Li, and Anya Pelshaw contributed to this report.

It’s been a long, exciting summer but the excitement never stops in the swimming world, because fall means it’s time for another NCAA season. Unlike the women’s September power rankings, the main intrigue in the men’s rankings is the race at the top. The answer to “how open is the race for the 2025 NCAA title” changes depending on who you ask, but the SwimSwam writers currently project it to be a two-team race.

Other lingering questions are how fast the Texas Longhorns will rebuild and how well the Virginia Cavaliers can course-correct before their high-powered recruiting class arrives on campus next fall.

While the writer ballots on the women’s side largely all had the same 25 teams (in varying order) there’s more variety on the men’s side, especially in the 20th through 25th-place range. More parity in where the boys’ high school class of 2024 committed means that there are more programs fighting for those spots, including an increasing number of mid-major programs.

Honorable Mentions: SMU Mustangs, Harvard Crimson, Kentucky Wildcats 

#25: LSU Tigers -1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 24)

All of LSU’s NCAA qualifiers from last season return. The only upperclassmen on their NCAA roster last season were Mitch Mason and Griffin Curtis, so it will be interesting to see what the Tigers can do now they’ve gained that experience. A few of their relays just missed scoring in 2024, and  Jere Hribar now has a year of yards swimming in the bank. -SK

#24: Army West Point Black Knights + (2024 NCAA Rank: N/A)

Last season, Kohen Rankin was Army’s first swimmer to qualify for NCAAs since 1987. His 100 breast PB would’ve scored in 2024, and now the program adds Johnny Crush, arguably the best recruit they’ve ever picked up. With him on the roster and Rankin now having managed that double taper, Army should double their NCAA qualifiers this season and take the next step by putting points on the board. -SK

#23: University of Pennsylvania Quakers +7 (2024 NCAA Rank: 30)

Penn’s pool is closed for reconstruction this season, forcing the team to practice elsewhere, but Matt Fallon alone could propel them back into the top 25, and they’ve got an intriguing recruiting class to watch. -SK 

#22: Pittsburgh Panthers: +2 (2024 NCAA Rank: 24)

Cameron Cash is good for points on 3-meter and platform, which alone is enough to keep Pitt in the top 25. He was 18th on 1-meter last year, so there’s a solid chance he could score in all three disciplines this season. -SK

#21: Minnesota Golden Gophers -1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 20)

There’s a lot to like about the way that Minnesota avoided careening down the NCAA standings after Max McHugh’s graduation. After a 20th-place finish, they’ve got a solid foundation to build on as they return both their individual NCAA points scorers and bring in freshman Jacob Johnson at what feels like the perfect time. -SK

#20: Purdue Boilermakers +3 (2024 NCAA Rank: 23)

Purdue’s divers will keep them inside the top 25 for another season. -SK

#19: Florida State Seminoles +2 (2024 NCAA Rank: 21)

Peter Varjasi‘s graduation hurts, but as long as Florida State does a reasonable job replacing his relay legs, those relays will keep them ranked. -SK

#18: Alabama Crimson Tide +1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 19)

Charlie Hawke and Kaique Alves remain key pieces to Alabama’s effort to climb back up the standings. Picking up Toni Dragoja and Kyle Micallef should help reinvigorate the sprint freestyle relays too. -SK

#17: USC Trojans +5 (2024 NCAA Rank: 23)

Adding just Luke Maurer and Diggory Dillingham does a lot for USC; they provide immediate value to the relays, which should be an area of focus for any team looking to quickly rise in the standings. The pair are part of an interesting group of arrivals for USC that could help them climb back into the top 20. -SK

#16: Louisville Cardinals -1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 15)

Louisville’s also brought in a strong recruiting class this season that will strengthen the team. The reason I’ve got them falling a spot below their 2024 NCAA finish is because I think Virginia course corrects more dramatically, not because I think they’re a worse team than they were last year. -SK

#15: Ohio State Buckeyes -2 (2024 NCAA Rank: 13)

Ohio State is battling some big losses this season, including multi-time NCAA champion Lyle Yost’s graduation (though he’ll be on deck as a coach). However, they return the rest of their individual NCAA scorers from last season and I’m interested to see what Alex Axon and Tristan Jankovics will do coming off making their first Olympic teams for Canada over the summer.

#14: Michigan Wolverines – (2024 NCAA Rank: 14)

I have Michigan ranked a few spots higher than everyone else, but I really like where the Wolverines are at this season. Firstly, they return all 10 members from their NCAAs team last year, where they finished 14th. Michigan built quite a lot of momentum in their first season under head coach Matt Bowe and his staff, and there’s no reason to think that momentum shouldn’t carry over into this season. Moreover, they bring in a solid freshman class, headlined by Canadian Olympian Lorne Wigginton, who should immediately make a big impact in a number of events. -SP

#13: —

(Tie) #12: Texas A&M Aggies +4 (2024 NCAA Rank: 16)

The Aggies strengths in IM, diving, and the 200 breaststroke should again drive them this season–their first as a combined program. How far those strengths will carry them is a big topic of discussion, they’re one of the teams with the widest range in where they were ranked this time around. -SK

(Tie) #12: Auburn Tigers – (2024 NCAA Rank: 12)

Auburn graduated Aidan Stoffle, but are ranked to hold steady at 12th largely thanks to their ability to score in all five relays. -SK

#11: Virginia Cavaliers +6 (2024 NCAA Rank: 17)

Virginia’s big recruiting class is still a year away, but adding Spencer Nicholas and David King, along with getting Jack Aikins back kickstarts the Cavaliers momentum as they look to climb back up the standings after falling to 17th last season. 

#10: Georgia Bulldogs +1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 11)

Luca Urlando will score 50 points for the Bulldogs individually, not to mention the impact he’ll have on the relays. Jake Magahey‘s back for a fifth year, a couple of Olympic redshirts return, Drew Hitchock highlights the recruiting class–the door is wide open for the Bulldogs to return to the top 10. -SK 

#9: Virginia Tech Hokies – (2024 NCAA Rank: 9)

The Hokies return essentially the same roster as last season; I’m going to go ahead and pencil them in for the same #9 finish as the last two years. -RG

#8: Stanford Cardinal – (2024 NCAA Rank: 8)

Andrei Minakov, Jack Ryan, and Henry McFadden all returning help staunch the loss of the Maurer brothers. -SK 

#7: Arizona State Sun Devils -6 (2024 NCAA Rank: 1)

We’re going to find out early whether Herbie Behm can keep the Sun Devils’ momentum going after all the talent lost to transfers. The star Ilya Kharun looked really good in the intrasquad, but this team’s big challenge will finding those next-tier guys who can jump into the top tier. -BK

#6: Tennessee Volunteers – (2024 NCAA Rank: 6)

Tennessee didn’t swim an 800 free relay at NCAAs last year, because they didn’t qualify one – which is wild for a program of this caliber. They have a really good freshman class coming in, with some good 200 freestylers (especially Koby Bujak-upton), but I’m not sure if it’s enough to really get them into a top 8-10 position that they’d need to run Texas. -BK

#5 NC State Wolfpack – (2024 NCAA Rank: 5)

NC State has done a masterful job of getting guys qualified for NCAAs the last few years, but in order to crack the next tier of teams, they’ve got to get more guys into A-finals. -RG

#4: Florida Gators -1 (2024 NCAA Rank: 4)

Florida losing Macguire McDuff hurts them, but unless Texas finds a top European commit for mid-season, I think Florida still has the edge. -BK

I initially had Florida just ahead of Texas, but the Macguire MacDuff news was just enough to swap the two teams, for now. The Ksawery Masiuk news sealed the deal. -RG

#3: Texas Longhorns +4 (2024 NCAA Rank: 7)

Texas found a big mid-season commit from Europe after I wrote my thoughts on Florida. The two-time World Championship bronze medalist in the 50 back Ksawery Masiuk flipped from NC State to Texas. Combined with the McDuff departure from Florida, I think that’s enough to bump Texas into the top 3. -BK

Texas’ roster is significantly better than last season, and they just gained a mid-season addition in Ksawery Masiuk, who will likely immediately be one of the best backstrokers in the NCAA. -SP

Is Ksawery Masiuk gonna solve the Texas sprinting problem? We will see. -YL

#2: California Golden Bears – (2024 NCAA Rank: 2)

As the season starts, this feels like a coin flip between Cal and Indiana. For the moment, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the team that’s been a perennial title contender for the last 15 years. -RG (Ranked Cal #1)

Look — I get the Indiana hype. This is a team that has added a lot of big pieces this season, and it doesn’t have a weakness stroke-wise. But Cal has established stars and experience getting it done on the big stage, so I’m going to go with the Golden Bears on top right now. -YL (Ranked Cal #1)

I think this year’s meet comes down to the wire. Zachary Tan looks like a star. If Cal can figure out Mewen Tomac‘s eligibility, I’d probably flip this, because he’s a 50-70 point impact by himself. -BK (Ranked Cal #2) 

#1: Indiana Hoosiers +3 (2024 NCAA Rank: 4)

I agree that right now it’s a coin flip between Cal and Indiana. Macguire McDuff‘s departure from Florida has an effect on this fight as well because it means that both Florida and ASU–the teams that won four of the five NCAA relays last season–are both missing key relay pieces and in my opinion, Cal is in the best position to capitalize. Cal’s a consistent threat that is not going away, but with Indiana assembling an incredibly strong transfer class that makes it clear they are built to win *now*, I’m giving them the edge here at the beginning of the season. -SK 

Writer Ballots