A list of 48 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2022 Harlon Hill Trophy
as the Division II college football player of the year.
A total of 12 nominees hail from Super Region One, 11 from Super Region Two, 14 from Super Region Three and 11 from Super Region Four.
Shepherd’s Tyson Bagent, the 2021 Hill recipient and a 2022 nominee from Super Region One could become the fifth repeat winner in award history. Nebraska-Kearney’s T.J. Davis and Bemidji State’s Brandon Alt also return after reaching the finalist stage a season ago.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: The essential guide to the Harlon Hill Trophy
The sports information directors at the 164 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 48 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, Nov. 28. The winner of the 2022 award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 16 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. The sports information directors at their respective schools initially nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.
The group of 48 candidates includes 16 quarterbacks, 10 wide receivers, eight running backs, seven defensive linemen, six linebackers and one punter/kicker. The list features 35 seniors, seven sophomores and six juniors. The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill — the former University of North Alabama standout — who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
HOW THE TOURNEY WORKS: The complete guide to the DII football championship
| 2022 Harlon hill trophy candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| SUPER REGIONAL ONE | POSITION | SCHOOL |
| D.J. Adediwura | DL | Slippery Rock |
| Tyson Bagent | QB | Shepherd |
| Jarod Bowie | WR | Concord |
| Duane Brown | WR | Indiana (PA) |
| Kory Curtis | QB | Gannon |
| Cedie Dashiell II | DE/OLB | Bentley |
| Connor Degenhardt | QB | New Haven |
| Jacob Holl | LB | Mercyhurst |
| Jalen Humphrey | LB | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| Jaylen McDuffie | LB | Seton Hill |
| Nathan Moore | LB | Notre Dame (OH) |
| Isaac TeSlaa | WR | Hillsdale |
| SUPER REGIONAL TWO | ||
| Mario Anderson | RB | Newberry |
| Jada Byers | RB | Virginia Union |
| David Durden | WR | West Florida |
| Ivory Durham | QB | Valdosta State |
| Ethan Evans | P/K | Wingate |
| Harrison Frost | QB | West Georgia |
| Andre Jefferson | DT | Lenoir-Rhyne |
| Juanya’ Majette | LB | Elizabeth City State |
| Tre Stewart | RB | Limestone |
| Braxton Westfield | WR | Carson-Newman |
| Emanuel Wilson | RB | Fort Valley State |
| SUPER REGIONAL THREE | ||
| Cooper Callis | QB | Southwest Baptist |
| TJ Cole | RB | Ouachita Baptist |
| Toriano Clinton | RB | Indianapolis |
| TJ Davis | QB | Nebraska-Kearney |
| Braden Gleason | QB | Emporia State |
| Marquis Gray | WR | Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| Elijah Green | DT | Northwest Missouri State |
| James Letcher Jr. | WR | Washburn |
| Xavier Malone | WR | Henderson State i |
| Caleb Murphy | DE | Ferris State |
| Cade Peterson | QB | Grand Valley State |
| Gage Porter | QB | Southern Nazarene |
| Turner Pullen | QB | McKendree |
| Jason Whittaker | QB | Davenport |
| SUPER REGIONAL FOUR | ||
| Brandon Alt | QB | Bemidji State |
| Nick Bohn | QB | Wayne State (Neb.) |
| Trey Botts | DL | CSU Pueblo |
| Jayden Johannsen | QB | South Dakota School of Mines |
| Danny Kittner | WR | Mary |
| MJ Link | WR | UT Permian Basin |
| Ian Marshall | DL | Northern State |
| John Matocha | QB | Colorado School of Mines |
| Thuro Reisdorfer | RB | Sioux Falls |
| Clay Schueffner | LB | Winona State |
| Jesse Sherwood | RB | Southwest Minnesota State |
