Football | 12/13/23 | 2:21 PM
WACO, TEXAS — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the individuals on the 2023 AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-America Teams in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association. Carroll College's
Hunter Mecham was named a Second Team All-American.
Hunter Mecham is a six-foot, four-inch redshirt-senior offensive lineman from Las Vegas, Nev.
The second team All-American nod puts a cap on a tremendous five-year campaign for Mecham, who anchored the left side of the offensive line for the past four seasons.
Mecham has started 38 games for the Saints, dating back to the 2019 season, and has been one of the most respected players on the field for each of the past four years. Twice he has been named as a First Team All-Frontier Conference selection, with two additional Second Team All-Frontier honors as well.
Mecham was as good as ever in 2023, anchoring the left side of a Carroll line that allowed only 13 sacks on the season.
Mecham continues the long-standing tradition of nationally-recongnized Carroll offensive linemen, and becomes the fifth player under Head Coach
Troy Purcell's tenure to earn the distinction. (Alex Hoffman,
Matthew Burgess,
Andrew Carter,
Garrett Kocab)
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.
2023 AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-America Team - First Team
Offense
| Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
| QB |
Jalyn Gramstad |
6-0 |
190 |
Jr. |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
Matt McCarty |
Lester, Iowa (West Lyon) |
| RB |
Dederrian Williams |
5-10 |
193 |
Sr. |
Indiana Wesleyan |
Andrew Rode |
Lake Placid, Fla. (Lake Placid) |
| RB |
Darius Neal |
6-0 |
205 |
Jr. |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
Chris Oliver |
Lexington, Ky. (Frederick Douglass) |
| WR |
Justin Pringle |
6-0 |
190 |
Gr. |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
Mike Feminis |
Romeoville, Ill. (Plainfield East) |
| WR |
J.D. Dixon |
5-11 |
190 |
Jr. |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
Michael Jasper |
Waverly, Tenn. (Central) |
| WR |
Austin Jablonski |
6-4 |
212 |
Jr. |
Concordia (Neb.) |
Patrick Daberkow |
Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X) |
| OL |
#Keegan Martin |
6-1 |
250 |
Sr. |
Friends (Kan.) |
Terry Harrison |
Yale, Okla. (Yale) |
| OL |
Ja'Kobe Hinton |
6-1 |
282 |
So. |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
Joel Osborn |
Katy, Tex. (Morton Ranch) |
| OL |
Garrett Rehberg |
6-8 |
315 |
R-Sr. |
College of Idaho |
Mike Moroski |
Boise, Idaho (Bishop Kelly) |
| OL |
Parker Beck |
6-3 |
288 |
Sr. |
Dordt (Iowa) |
Joel Penner |
Spirit Lake, Iowa (Spirit Lake) |
| OL |
*Earon Garcia |
6-0 |
250 |
Sr. |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
Brad Griffin |
Wichita, Kan. (Northwest) |
Defense
| Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
| DL |
Tristin Waugh |
6-2 |
250 |
Sr. |
Grand View (Iowa) |
Joe Woodley |
Fairfield, Iowa (Fairfield) |
| DL |
Nicholas Engler |
6-4 |
261 |
Sr. |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
Bill Rychel |
Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Treasure Coast) |
| DL |
*Krew Mathern |
6-3 |
210 |
Sr. |
Dickinson St. (N.D.) |
Pete Stanton |
Dickinson, N.D. (Dickinson) |
| DL |
Noah Turnbull |
6-2 |
255 |
Sr. |
Southern Oregon |
Berk Brown |
Bend, Ore. (Summit) |
| LB |
Bradley Myers |
5-11 |
215 |
R-Jr. |
Evangel (Mo.) |
Chuck Hepola |
Lee's Summit, Mo. (West) |
| LB |
Canon Karn |
6-0 |
215 |
Jr. |
Baker (Kan.) |
Miguel Regalado |
Holton, Kan. (Holton) |
| LB |
AJ Hemphill |
6-0 |
209 |
Jr. |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
Nick Davis |
Strasburg, Colo. (Strasburg) |
| DB |
Lonell Boyd Jr. |
5-10 |
195 |
R-Jr. |
Morningside (Iowa) |
Steve Ryan |
St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers) |
| DB |
Nate Frey |
5-11 |
200 |
R-Sr. |
Marian (Ind.) |
Ted Karras Jr. |
Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) |
| DB |
Kaysan Barnett |
5-8 |
178 |
Jr. |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
Chris Stutzriem |
Phoenix, Ariz. (Millennium) |
| DB |
Wendol Philord |
5-8 |
180 |
Sr. |
Keiser (Fla.) |
Doug Socha |
Miramar, Fla. (Miami Jackson) |
Specialists
| Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
| P |
Andrew Almos |
6-1 |
205 |
R-So. |
Montana Tech |
Kyle Samson |
Great Falls, Mont. (Great Falls) |
| PK |
Landon Reeves |
5-10 |
185 |
Sr. |
Ottawa (Ariz.) |
Mike Nesbitt |
Idalou, Tex. (Idalou) |
| AP |
*Seeger DeGayner |
6-2 |
190 |
Sr. |
Concordia (Mich.) |
Joshua Schumacher |
Grand Blanc, Mich. (Linden) |
| LS |
Brooks Garnder |
5-10 |
215 |
Sr. |
Tabor (Kan.) |
Mike Gardner |
Hillsboro, Kan. (Hillsboro) |
*-2022 AFCA All-American #-2021 Spring & Fall, 2022 AFCA All-American
2023 AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-America Team - Second Team
Offense
| Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
| QB |
Joaquin Collazo III |
6-3 |
195 |
Sr. |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
Michael Jasper |
Melbourne, Fla. (Central Catholic) |
| RB |
Rontavious Farmer |
5-9 |
185 |
Jr. |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
Bill Rychel |
Palm Bay, Fla. (Cocoa) |
| RB |
Konner McQuillan |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
Matt McCarty |
Leavenworth, Kan. (Lansing) |
| WR |
Dillon Hester |
6-1 |
183 |
R-Jr. |
Evangel (Mo.) |
Chuck Hepola |
Strafford, Mo. (Strafford) |
| WR |
Arlandes Mitchell |
6-0 |
180 |
So. |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
Paul Hansen |
Independence, Mo. (Van Horn) |
| TE |
Rex Ryken |
6-2 |
212 |
Jr. |
Mount Marty (S.D.) |
John Michaletti |
Yankton, S.D. (Yankton) |
| OL |
Lucas Doyle |
6-5 |
298 |
Gr. |
Indiana Wesleyan |
Andrew Rode |
Greenwood, Ind. (Center Grove) |
| OL |
Scarlee Jean |
6-4 |
291 |
Sr. |
Keiser (Fla.) |
Doug Socha |
Riviera Beach, Fla. (Inlet Grove) |
| OL |
Colin Cox |
6-2 |
315 |
Jr. |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
Mike Feminis |
Joliet, Ill. (Catholic Academy) |
| OL |
Hunter Mecham |
6-4 |
285 |
R-Sr. |
Carroll (Mont.) |
Troy Purcell |
Las Vegas, Nev. (Green Valley) |
| OL |
Blake Gossett |
6-2 |
280 |
Sr. |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
Chris Oliver |
Louisville, Ky. (Male) |
Defense
| Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
| DL |
*Paul Vandal |
6-2 |
267 |
Sr. |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
Brian Mistro |
Jamestown, N.D. (Jamestown) |
| DL |
*Riley Gerhardt |
6-2 |
226 |
Sr. |
Valley City St. (N.D.) |
Dennis McCulloch |
Valley City, N.D. (Valley City) |
| DL |
Heath Baker |
6-3 |
265 |
Jr. |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
Joel Osborn |
Atchison, Kan. (Atchison) |
| DL |
Emmanuel Olaitan |
6-1 |
245 |
So. |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
Rob Gray |
Marietta, Ga. (Marietta) |
| LB |
Chad Holleran |
6-4 |
235 |
Sr. |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
Chris Oliver |
Frankfort, Ky. (Franklin County) |
| LB |
Jaelin Willis |
5-11 |
210 |
So. |
Keiser (Fla.) |
Doug Socha |
Fort Myers, Fla. (Bishop Verot) |
| LB |
Casey Rauch |
6-2 |
218 |
Sr. |
Concordia (Mich.) |
Joshua Schumacher |
Alexandria, Ky. (Campbell County) |
| DB |
Pop McGhee |
6-2 |
170 |
Jr. |
Louisiana Christian |
Drew Maddox |
Opelousas, La. (Opelousas) |
| DB |
Nehemiah Figueroa |
5-11 |
185 |
R-Jr. |
McPherson (Kan.) |
Jeremiah Fiscus |
Boyertown, Pa. (Pottstown) |
| DB |
Cody Moser |
6-2 |
195 |
Jr. |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
Matt McCarty |
Rock Valley, Iowa (Community) |
| DB |
Demetrice Gilbert |
