North Central (Ill.) QB Luke Lehnen wins top offensive honor on AP Division III All-America team

Quarterback Luke Lehnen of North Central College of Illinois is the offensive player of the year and first-team quarterback on The Associated Press Division III All-America team announced Thursday.

Safety Matt Jung of Bethel (Minnesota) is defensive player of the year, kicker Tyler Huettel of Trinity (Texas) is special teams player of the year and Mike Cerasuolo of Springfield (Massachusetts) is coach of the year.

Lehnen won the 2023 Gagliardi Trophy as Division III's most outstanding player and is considered a front-runner to win the award again. Lehnen leads his division in passing efficiency and has thrown for 35 touchdowns and run for 13 while leading the Cardinals to a 13-0 record.

Lehnen has been the starter on three straight teams that have reached the national championship game, and he will look to make it four straight when the Cardinals host Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) in a semifinal Saturday.

Jung led the nation with nine interceptions, with four being returned for touchdowns to tie the Division III single-season record. He also led Bethel with 98 tackles, 10 for loss.

Huettel tied the Trinity record with 18 field goals, and his 81.8% accuracy on his 22 attempts ranked second in the nation.

Cerasuolo, in his ninth year as Springfield's coach, led his team to a 12-0 record before it lost to North Central in the playoff quarterfinals last week.

The All-America team and individual honors are chosen by a panel of sports information directors from Division III football schools.

First-team offense

Quarterback — Luke Lehnen, North Central (Illinois), graduate, 6-1, 202, Chatham, Illinois.

Running backs — Montie Quinn, Curry, junior, 5-9, 180, Goose Creek, South Carolina; Arsen Shtefan, Springfield, graduate, 6-0, 225, West Hartford, Connecticut.

Linemen — Tucker Kinney, Wartburg, senior, 6-4, 308, DeWitt, Iowa; Khalil Spivey, Hardin-Simmons, senior, 6-0, 325, Abilene, Texas; Charlie Kulhay, Endicott, graduate, 6-2, 245, Glastonbury, Connecticut; Sam Pryor, North Central (Illinois), senior, 6-0, 270, Sugar Grove, Illinois; Giovanni Kennedy, Mount Union, junior, 6-1, 275, Avon, Ohio.

Tight end — Gabe Quigley, DePauw, senior, 6-3, 218, Carmel, Indiana.

Wide receivers — Scott Fraser, Grove City, senior, 6-4, 205, Butler, Pennsylvania; Collin Brunstein, Illinois College, senior, 6-2, 190, Jacksonville, Illinois; Dylan Wheeler, Saint John’s (Minnesota), junior, 6-2, 190, St. Paul, Minnesota.

First-team defense

Linemen — Nick Lardaro, Cortland, senior, 6-4, 265, St. James, New York; Caden DeWall, Bethel, senior, 6-1, 225, Becker, Minnesota; Rossy Moore, Mount Union, senior, 6-2, 225, Lima, Ohio; Dawson Dietz, Washington and Jefferson, senior, 6-0, 245, Allison Park, Pennsylvania; Robert Coury, Carnegie Mellon, graduate, 5-11, 205, Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

Linebackers — Charlie Patterson, Hardin-Simmons, senior, 6-3, 215, Auburn, Illinois; Nicholas Burgess, Montclair State, senior, 6-0, 220, Hackensack, New Jersey; Ben Bladel, Grove City, junior, 6-0, 225, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

Defensive backs — Matt Jung, Bethel, sophomore, 6-3, 215, Neenah, Wisconsin; Grant Henderson, Maryville (Tennessee), senior, 5-8, 165, Miami; Carson Bourdo, Johns Hopkins, junior, 5-11, 195, Traverse City, Michigan; Parker Rochford, Wartburg, senior, 6-0, 205, Edgewood, Iowa; Jordy Tawa, Rochester, junior, 5-11, 170, Wilsonville, Oregon.

First-team special teams

All-purpose player — A.J. Jackson, Lake Forest, graduate, 6-0, 210, Peoria, Arizona.

Kicker — Tyler Huettel, Trinity (Texas), senior, 5-9, 200, McKinney, Texas.

Punter — Vicente Lyon, Hobart, junior, 6-4, 200, Yorktown Heights, New York.

Long snapper — Josh Dennison, Central, senior, 5-11, 200, Romeoville, Illinois.

Second-team offense

Quarterback — Aaron Syverson, Saint John’s (Minnesota), senior, 6-0, 195, Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Running backs — Tyler Echeverry, Mount Union, senior, 5-10, 200, Naples, Florida; Brandon Cade, Berry, senior, 5-11, 190, Duluth, Georgia.

Linemen — John Schirger, UW-Oshkosh, senior, 6-7, 327, Grafton, Wisconsin; Matt Wrather, John Carroll, senior, 5-11, 250, Powell, Ohio; Tre Price, Salisbury, graduate, 6-2, 275, Westminster, Maryland; Jeske Maples, North Central (Illinois), senior, 6-3, 263, Moweaqua, Illinois; Matt Kickel, Aurora, senior, 6-4, 300, Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Tight end — Quamel Jarvis, Morrisville State, senior, 6-2, 218, Rochester, New York.

Wide receiver — Joey Kidder, Bethel, senior, 6-3, 220, New Richmond, Wisconsin; Ben Bonga, Wheaton (Illinois), senior, 6-2, 181, Brentwood, Tennessee; Evan Liggett, Whitworth, graduate, 6-3, 192, Kirkland, Washington.

Second-team defense

Linemen — Caleb Sell, Linfield, senior, 6-2, 240, Salem, Oregon; Matt Burba, UW-Whitewater, senior, 5-11, 295, Lake in the Hills, Illinois; Arnold Young, Montclair State, senior, 6-4, 280, Mount Holly, New Jersey; Alex Aitchison, Coe, senior, 6-6, 255, Cascade, Iowa.

Linebackers — Jalen Todd, Washington and Lee, senior, 5-10, 215, Louisville, Kentucky; Cole Luhmann, Hope, senior, 6-0, 220, Rochester, Michigan; Durand Hill, Mary Hardin-Baylor, senior, 6-0, 210, Buda, Texas; Reid Pakkebier, Central, senior, 6-2, 210, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Defensive backs — Ty Richardson, Tufts, sophomore, 5-11, 175, San Mateo, California; Timothy Leatherman, McMurry, senior, 5-11, 190, Ingram, Texas; Gavin Smith, Central, junior, 6-0, 185, Audubon, Iowa; Donell Mackey-Woodson, Wilkes, senior, 5-11, 190, Hartford, Connecticut; Joseph Norris III, Heidelberg, graduate, 5-9, 175, Lorain, Ohio.

Second-team special teams

All-purpose player — Brody Bantolina, Pacific, junior, 5-8, 170, Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

Kicker — Luke Cool, UW-Stout, senior, 5-9, 180, Franklin, Wisconsin.

Punter — Andrew Toler, Rose-Hulman, senior, 6-2, 205, Bidwell, Ohio.

Long snapper — Marcus Viramontes, Whitworth, graduate, 5-10, 178, Anaheim, California.