By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Director of Athletic Communications
AFCA Release
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University senior wide receiver
Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds View) was one of 22 student-athletes across all divisions of college football named to the 2025 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
The 2025 season marks the 34th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.
Wheeler is one of seven honorees from the NCAA Division III level – joining offensive lineman Charlie Pearson of Johns Hopkins (Md.), quarterback Carter St. John of Alma (Mich.), offensive lineman Canyon Schneider of Denison (Ohio), kicker/punter Owen Schuckert of John Carroll (Ohio), running back Auvic White of Hendrix (Ark.) and defensive back Devin Williams of Bethel.
Wheeler is the ninth Johnnie to be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the eighth in the last nine seasons – joining linebacker
Jake Schwinghammer '25, wide receiver Jimmy Buck '23, defensive lineman Michael Wozniak '22, quarterback Chris Backes '21, offensive lineman Ben Bartch '20, quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 and wide receiver Will Gillach '19. Defensive end Kevin McNamara '07 was the first SJU student-athlete to receive the honor in 2006.
The full list of SJU's honorees and nominees is below.
Over the summer, sports information directors from Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA schools across the country submitted nominations of players they felt best embodied the spirit of the Good Works Team award. A voting panel was faced with a list of 197 nominees that was narrowed down to the 22 student-athletes and honorary coach, Oklahoma's Brent Venables, named to the team.
The 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a special community service project ahead of the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl, where the entire team will also be recognized on the field at halftime on New Year's Day.
Wheeler caught three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown, the 32nd of his career and 22nd over his last 13 games, in Sept. 13's season-opening, 49-0 win over Minnesota-Morris.
A 2024 consensus All-American – American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) first team, Associated Press first team, D3football.com third team, Walter Camp first team - Wheeler ended the season second in NCAA Division III in receiving touchdowns (21), eighth in total points scored (126) and total touchdowns (21), 14th in receptions per game (7.3) and 15th in scoring (10.5 ppg.). He recorded over 100 receiving yards in seven of his team's 12 games and led SJU in receptions (88) and receiving touchdowns (21), while finishing second with 1,164 receiving yards.
The 21 receiving touchdowns were second-most in program history, one behind the record of 22 set by Blake Elliott '03 - a 2025 College Football Hall of Fame inductee - in 2002, while the catches ranked third and the receiving yards were 10th.
Wheeler is currently fourth in SJU history in 100-yard receiving games (10), tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (32), eighth in receptions (152) and 12th in receiving yards (2,036).
An accounting and finance (double-major) with a 3.64 GPA, Wheeler was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America second team in addition to earning CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-MIAC (minimum 3.5 GPA) honors.
Wheeler organized a fundraiser during the 2024 football season for Folds of Honor to provide academic scholarships for the children and spouses of America's fallen or disabled military members and first responders (left). He developed a performance-based donation system that raised over $25,000 from almost 30 different donors. Wheeler is currently working to expand the project with other SJU student-athletes across all sports and establish the fundraiser as a new tradition.
Wheeler is SJU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president for the current 2025-26 academic year, which is his third as a member of the organization. He was SAAC's Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair in 2024-25 and was a member of the organization's Kids Fighting Hunger Committee in 2023-24. Wheeler helped raise over $35,000 and organized a food-packing event on campus that produced nearly 100,000 meals that year.
He spent a week in March 2024 on an SJU Faith Service and Immersion trip to the Bahamas and volunteered at a local elementary school, building picnic tables for the students and playing bocce ball with a local Special Olympics group. Wheeler also cleaned up the grounds of a convent of Benedictine Sisters, doing yardwork and taking out garbage.
Wheeler is in his fourth year raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a member of the SJU football team. The Johnnies raised $63,700 last fall, the program's 10th year supporting the organization.
No. 4/5 SJU (1-0 overall) travels to face Hamline (1-0 overall) for the MIAC opener at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Klas Field in St. Paul.
SJU's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominees/Honorees Since 2006
2025 - Wide receiver
Dylan Wheeler '26 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2024 - Linebacker
Jake Schwinghammer '25 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2023 - Wide Receiver Jimmy Buck '23 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2022 - Defensive Lineman Michael Wozniak '22 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2021 -
No Nominee
2020 - Quarterback Chris Backes '21 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2019 - Offensive Lineman Ben Bartch '20 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2018 - Quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2017 - Wide Receiver Will Gillach '19 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2016 - Linebacker Carter Hanson '17
2015 - Offensive Lineman Ben Brown '16
2014 - Offensive Lineman Alex Jarosz '15
2013 - Running Back Colin Moynihan '14
2012 - Running Back Stephen Johnson '13
2011 - Defensive Back Andrew Rotschafer '11
2010 - Linebacker John Stanton '10
2009 -
No Nominee
2008 - Running Back Jeff Schnobrich '09
2007 -
No Nominee
2006 - Defensive Lineman Kevin McNamara '07 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
