KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirteen players from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference earned All-America honors, as the 2023 AFCA?NAIA?Coaches' All-America Teams were announced Wednesday by the
American Football Coaches Association.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
The AFCA's NAIA?All-America Selection Committee is made up of two head coaches from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.
Five players from the conference earned First Team All-America honors. Those five are:
- Keegan Martin, Friends University — OL
- Earon Garcia, Southwestern College — OL
- Bradley Myers, Evangel University — LB
- AJ Hemphill, Ottawa University — LB
- Brooks Gardner, Tabor College — LS
Martin earned his fourth AFCA All-America honor, making him just the third player in NAIA history to accomplish the feat. Martin earned his first three All-America honors while at Bethel (Kan.) in the spring and fall of 2021 and 2022. He joins OUAZ (Ariz.) teammates Dustin Rivera (OL-2018-19-S21-F21) and Austin Bohn (P-2018-19-S21-22). Martin was named to the AFCA NAIA First Team on all four occasions.
Garcia was named to the First Team for the second consecutive year.
Three players from the KCAC earned Second Team All-America honors. They are:
- Dillon Hester, Evangel University — WR
- Nehemiah Figueroa, McPherson College — DB
- Trey Dixon, Sterling College — AP
This marks the second time Hester has made an AFCA NAIA All-American team, as he was on the Honorable Mention squad a year ago.
Five players from the conference were on the All-America Third Team. They are:
- Wynton Ruth, Ottawa University — RB
- CJ Anoa'i, Evangel University — OL
- Ryan Junkermeier, Bethel College — OL
- Zach Myers, Evangel University — DL
- Vincent McTigue, University of Saint Mary — P
2023 AFCA NAIA COACHES' ALL AMERICA TEAM - FIRST TEAM
| Offense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Jalyn Gramstad |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
QB |
Jr. |
Lester, Iowa |
| Dederrian Williams |
Indiana Wesleyan |
RB |
Sr. |
Lake Placid, Fla. |
| Darius Neal |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
RB |
Jr. |
Lexington, Ky. |
| Justin Pringle |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
WR |
Gr. |
Romeoville, Ill. |
| J.D. Dixon |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
WR |
Jr. |
Waverly, Tenn. |
| Austin Jablonski |
Concordia (Neb.) |
WR |
Jr. |
Lincoln, Neb. |
| Keegan Martin # |
Friends (Kan.) |
OL |
Sr. |
Yale, Okla. |
| Ja'Kobe Hinton |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
OL |
So. |
Katy, Tex. |
| Garrett Rehberg |
College of Idaho |
OL |
R-Sr. |
Boise, Idaho |
| Parker Beck |
Dordt (Iowa) |
OL |
Sr. |
Spirit Lake, Iowa |
| Earon Garcia * |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
OL |
Sr. |
Wichita, Kan. |
| Defense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Tristin Waugh |
Grand View (Iowa) |
DL |
Sr. |
Fairfield, Iowa |
| Nicholas Engler |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
DL |
Sr. |
Port St. Lucie, Fla. |
| Krew Mathern * |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
DL |
Sr. |
Dickinson, N.D. |
| Noah Turnbull |
Southern Oregon |
DL |
Sr. |
Bend, Ore. |
| Bradley Myers |
Evangel (Mo.) |
LB |
R-Jr. |
Lee's Summit, Mo. |
| Canon Karn |
Baker (Kan.) |
LB |
Jr. |
Holton, Kan. |
| AJ Hemphill |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
LB |
Jr. |
Strasburg, Colo. |
| Lonell Boyd Jr. |
Morningside (Iowa) |
DB |
R-Jr. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| Nate Frey |
Marian (Ind.) |
DB |
R-Sr. |
Carmel, Ind. |
| Kaysan Barnett |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
DB |
Jr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Wendol Philord |
Keiser (Fla.) |
DB |
Sr. |
Miramar, Fla. |
| Specialists |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Andrew Almos |
Montana Tech |
P |
R-So. |
Great Falls, Mont. |
| Landon Reeves |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
PK |
Sr. |
Idalou, Texas |
| Seeger DeGayner * |
Concordia (Mich.) |
AP |
Sr. |
Grand Blanc, Mich. |
| Brooks Gardner |
Tabor (Kan.) |
LS |
Sr. |
Hillsboro, Kan. |
2023 AFCA NAIA COACHES' ALL AMERICA TEAM - SECOND TEAM
| Offense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Joaquin Collazo III |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
QB |
Sr. |
Melbourne, Fla. |
| Rontavious Farmer |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
RB |
Jr. |
Palm Bay, Fla. |
| Konner McQuillan |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
RB |
Sr. |
Leavenworth, Kan. |
| Dillon Hester |
Evangel (Mo.) |
WR |
R-Jr. |
Strafford, Mo. |
| Arlandes Mitchell |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
WR |
So. |
Independence, Mo. |
| Rex Ryken |
Mount Marty (S.D.) |
TE |
Jr. |
Yankton, S.D. |
| Lucas Doyle |
Indiana Wesleyan |
OL |
Gr. |
Greenwood, Ind. |
| Scarlee Jean |
Keiser (Fla.) |
OL |
Sr. |
Riviera Beach, Fla. |
| Colin Cox |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
OL |
Jr. |
Joliet, Ill. |
| Hunter Mecham |
Carroll (Mont.) |
OL |
R-Sr. |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Blake Gossett |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
OL |
Sr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| Defense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Paul Vandal * |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
DL |
Sr. |
Jamestown, N.D. |
| Riley Gerhardt * |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
DL |
Sr. |
Valley City, N.D. |
| Heath Baker |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
DL |
Jr. |
Atchison, Kan. |
| Emmanuel Olaitan |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
DL |
So. |
Marietta, Ga. |
| Chad Holleran |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
LB |
Sr. |
Frankfort, Ky. |
| Jaelin Willis |
Keiser (Fla.) |
LB |
So. |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| Casey Rauch |
Concordia (Mich.) |
LB |
Sr. |
Alexandria, Ky. |
| Pop McGhee |
Louisiana Christian |
DB |
Jr. |
Opelousas, La. |
| Nehemiah Figueroa |
McPherson (Kan.) |
DB |
R-Jr. |
Boyertown, Pa. |
| Cody Moser |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
DB |
Jr. |
Rock Valley, Iowa |
| Demetrice Gilbert |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
DB |
Sr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| Specialists |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Logan Burke |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
P |
Gr. |
Katy, Texas |
| Job Matossian |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
PK |
So. |
Maryville, Tenn. |
| Trey Dixon |
Sterling (Kan.) |
AP |
So. |
Killeen, Texas |
| MJ Montgomery |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
LS |
Sr. |
Norfolk, Neb. |
2023 NAIA COACHES' ALL AMERICA TEAM - THIRD TEAM
| Offense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Michael Palandri |
Montana Western |
QB |
R-So. |
Maple Valley, Wash. |
| Bryan Stiemke |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
RB |
Jr. |
Bel Air, Md. |
| Wynton Ruth |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
RB |
Sr. |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| David Hayes |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
WR |
Jr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
| Jacob Gathright |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
WR |
Jr. |
Oceanside, Calif. |
| Michael Storey |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
WR |
Sr. |
Spencer, Iowa |
| Rex Ryken |
Mount Marty (S.D.) |
TE |
Jr. |
Yankton, S.D. |
| Scotty Woodruff |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
OL |
Jr. |
Torrington, Wyo. |
| CJ Anoa'i |
Evangel (Mo.) |
OL |
Jr. |
Springfield, Mo. |
| Ryan Junkermeier |
Bethel (Kan.) |
OL |
Sr. |
Plainville, Kan. |
| Marcus Lombard |
Montana Western |
OL |
R-Jr. |
Laie, Hawaii |
| Riley Lindberg |
Morningside (Iowa) |
OL |
Sr. |
Fremont, Neb. |
| Defense |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Zach Myers |
Evangel (Mo.) |
DL |
Jr. |
Lee's Summit, Mo. |
| Isaac Abeo |
Indiana Wesleyan |
DL |
Gr. |
Fishers, Ind. |
| Jessup Leakey |
Dordt (Iowa) |
DL |
R-Sr. |
Independence, Mo. |
| Devin Adams |
Peru State (Neb.) |
DL |
Sr. |
Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| Joey Mohap |
Roosevelt (Ill.) |
DB |
Jr. |
Longview, Texas |
| Howard Huerta |
William Penn (Iowa) |
DB |
Jr. |
Panorama City, Calif. |
| Kellen Neal |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
DB |
Sr. |
Buford, Ga. |
| Abraham Stoesz |
Dordt (Iowa) |
DB |
Sr. |
Mountain Lake, Minn. |
| Isaac Pingel |
Morningside (Iowa) |
LB |
Jr. |
Spencer, Iowa |
| Kemon Reese |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
LB |
Jr. |
Bellwood, Ill. |
| Nate Ewell |
Grand View (Iowa) |
LB |
Jr. |
Waterloo, Iowa |
| Specialists |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Logan Collier |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
AP |
Jr. |
Nashville, Tenn. |
| Nathan Hamilton |
Grand View (Iowa) |
PK |
R-Sr. |
Bettendorf, Iowa |
| Vincent McTique |
St. Mary (Kan.) |
P |
So. |
Sparks, Nev. |
PREVIOUS ALL-AMERICAN KEY
* = 2022 AFCA NAIA All-American
# = 2021 AFCA NAIA All-American
—KCAC—