FOLLOW OHIO FOOTBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

ATHENS, Ohio – Graduate student cornerback Tank Pearson and graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro are representing Ohio on the 2025 HERO Sports Preseason Group of Five All-American Teams, as announced by HERO Sports today (Aug. 11). Additionally, Ohio football landed on HERO's Top 25 list, placing 15^th. 
 
Pearson (Oxford, Miss) earned a Second Team Defense nod while Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) made Third Team Offense. 
 
Navarro made 13 starts during the 2024 campaign, tallying 2,423 passing yards on 295 passes with 195 completions. Also a force to be reckoned with on the ground, he rushed for 1,054 yards on 160 attempts with 18 touchdowns, becoming the second quarterback in program history to log over 1,000 yards on the ground in a single season as well as the first quarterback to record over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. A four-time 2024 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30, Nov. 15, Nov. 25, Dec. 2), Navarro also earned Davey O'Brien Great 8 recognition twice (Dec. 2 and Jan. 22), All-MAC Second Team Offense accolades and was named both the MAC Championship Offensive Player of the Game and 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl MVP honors.
 
Pearson started in 13 games for the Bobcats, finishing the season with 51 tackles, highlighted by 33 solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a season-high eight tackles during the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl against Jacksonville State. Pearson recorded a team-best four interceptions, two of which he snagged against Eastern Michigan (Nov. 13), and was also credited with six pass breakups. Often seen on kickoffs, Pearson recorded 196 yards, averaging 19.6 yards per return.  
 
Navarro has also been featured on the Walter Camp 2025 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the 2025 Maxwell Award Watch List and the 2025 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List. Pearson was recognized on the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List. 
 
#OUohyeah