Four SAC Football Players Named Finalists for 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –  A list of 38 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.

A total of 10 nominees hail from Super Region 1, eight from Super Region 2, 10 from Super Region 3 and 10 from Super Region 4. 

Colorado School of Mines’ John Matocha, the 2022 Hill recipient and a 2023 nominee from Super Region 4 could become the fifth repeat winner in award history.  Bemidji State’s Brandon Alt also returns after reaching the finalist stage a season ago.

The sports information directors at the 161 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 38 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, November 27.

The winner of the 2024 award will be announced on Friday, December 15 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on Friday, January 12, 2024.

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 38 candidates includes 17 quarterbacks, eight running backs, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, two  defensive backs, two wide receivers and an offensive lineman.

 The list features 19 seniors, 11 juniors and eight sophomores.

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.

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