COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Five finalists for the 2024 Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank, for the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III are announced. These five finalists were cut down from 18 semifinalists announced two weeks ago.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, is awarded to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player and recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who passed away at the age of 91 in 2018. John retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.
Stearns Bank's longtime CEO Norm Skalicky and Gagliardi were great friends and admirers of one another. Both became legends in their respective fields - not just because of their success, but because of how they looked uniquely upon their work.
Four of the five finalists are quarterbacks. Illinois College's Destin Chance leads NCAA Division III in total offense (417.9 yds/game.) Last year's Gagliardi Trophy recipient, North Central's Luke Lehnen, leads the country in passing efficiency (205.4). Aaron Syverson of Saint John's leads the division in passing yards per game (365.2 yds.) and Cortland State's Zac Boyes led the Dragons to the 2023 national championship. Carnegie Mellon linebacker Robert Coury is a four-time All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) first-team honoree. The five finalists were all semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy in 2023.
2024 Gagliardi Trophy Finalists
Zac Boyes
QB | Sr. | Cortland
Destin Chance
QB | Sr. | Illinois College
Robert Coury
LB | Gr. | Carnegie Mellon
Luke Lehnen
QB | Sr. | North Central (Ill.)
Aaron Syverson
QB | Sr. | Saint John's
The Gagliardi Trophy finalists were announced by D3football.com hosts Pat Coleman and Frank Rossi during a live show today (Thursday, Dec. 19) on D3football.com. The 2024 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship on the evening of Friday, Jan. 3. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2024 Gagliardi Trophy winner, D3football.com will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement.
The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 18 Division III coaches (three from each NCAA Region), six Division III administrators (one from each region), 12 regional notable voters (two from each region) and six national voters which included a "fan" vote which ran until December 13th. No Saint John's J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.
About Stearns Bank N.A.
Minnesota-based Stearns Bank National Association is a $2.2 billion, independently-owned financial institution with locations in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona, and over 35,000 small business customers nationwide, in every state across the U.S. Recognized as having a bullet-proof balance sheet with 25% capital and earning top rankings as one of the nation's highest-performing banks by American Banker, and most recently ranked fourth in the U.S. among banks having more than $1 billion in assets by Independent Banker's 2023 Best of the Best ranking of banks with the highest 3-year average Return on Assets, Stearns Bank specializes in nationwide commercial construction lending, USDA and SBA lending, and small business and equipment financing. Driven by a passion to help others achieve their greatest ambitions, Stearns Bank's mission is to Get the Job Done! For more information, visit StearnsBank.com.
About the Saint John's University J-Club
Founded in 1959, the Saint John's University J-Club is a dues-based booster organization of former Johnnie student-athletes, parents, and fans, and plays a key role in support of the SJU varsity programs, intramurals and club sports. Saint John's is a private liberal arts college for men located in Collegeville, Minnesota.
