Central’s Blaine Hawkins and Monmouth’s Korbyn Personett Headline the 2021 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Teams

Central (Iowa) quarterback Blaine Hawkins and Monmouth’s Korbyn Personett headline the 2021 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Teams announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.

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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.

Hawkins led the nation in passing yards (4,475) and passing touchdowns (63) and was second in the nation in total offense per game (361.9) and third in passing efficiency (192.05). His 63 touchdown passes shattered the all-divisions NCAA single season record and he set a Division III record with seven touchdown passes in a half on September 25. Personett led the nation in sacks with 16 and tackles for loss with 26. His 16 sacks set a Monmouth single-season record. Named Midwest Conference Defensive Line most valuable player, Personett added 52 tackles, six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and four pass break-ups.

2021 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team – First Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2019 AFCA All-American

2021 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team – Second Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2019 AFCA All-American

Team Background: The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen.

From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II.

In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA.

In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. The AFCA began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively.

From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.

Selection Process: The AFCA’s Division III All-America Selection Committee is made up of head coaches representing each conference 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.

The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches’ All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.

Top Teams: Mount Union has been represented a total of 29 times by 27 players on the AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team since 1972. The Purple Raiders are followed by Mary Hardin-Baylor (25/22), Linfield (23/21), Wisconsin-Whitewater (22/20), Wittenberg (21/19), Washington & Jefferson (21/18), Wisconsin-La Crosse (19/19), Augustana (Ill.) (19/17), Wheaton (19/17), St. John’s (Minn.) (18/17), Springfield (18/15), Ithaca (17/17), Central (Iowa) (17/16), Wesley (17/14), Widener (17/13), Montclair State (15/13), North Central (14/12), Emory & Henry (13/13), John Carroll (13/13), Salisbury (13/13), Hardin-Simmons (12/12), Wabash (11/11), Westminster (Pa.) (11/11), Ferrum (11/10) and Hampden-Sydney (11/10).

Consecutive Years: With Dallas McRae’s repeat selection in 2021, Wheaton has had a player chosen to the AFCA All-America Team for seven straight seasons (2014-21), the longest active streak. Wesley had a player chosen for 11 consecutive years, from 2005-15, which is the longest streak in AFCA Division III All-America Team history. Second on the list is Mount Union, which had a player chosen for 10 consecutive years, from 2000-09. Tied for third on the list is Mount Union again from 2011 to 2019, Washington & Jefferson, which had a player chosen for nine straight seasons (2002-10), and Mary Hardin-Baylor, which had a player chosen from 2006 to 2014. Emory & Henry is fourth on the list, having had a player named AFCA All-American for eight straight seasons from 1985-1992.

Three-peat: Five players have earned AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team honors three times. They are: DB Tom Deery, Widener, 1979-80-81; RB Scott Reppert, Lawrence, 1980-81-82; RB Joe Dudek, Plymouth State, 1983-84-85; DL Sean Brewer, Millsaps, 1990-91-92; and P Jeff Shea, California Lutheran, 1995-96-97.

Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 37 seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores, two freshmen and two graduate students.

First Time Schools: This year, running back Joey Mauriello of Salve Regina and offensive lineman Andrew Owczarzak of Martin Luther earned All-America honors for their schools for the first time.

Back-to-Back: Birmingham-Southern running back Robert Shufford, North Central wide receiver Andrew Kamienski, Wheaton defensive lineman Dallas McRae, Chapman linebacker Dillon Keefe, Hobart linebacker Emmett Forde and North Central offensive lineman Sharmore Clarke earned AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America honors for a second consecutive season in 2021.

It’s Been A While: Punter Tyler Huettel of St. Olaf has earned AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team honors for his school for the first time since 1980.

One Player, Two Schools: Offensive lineman Dustin Rivera joins tight end Jacob Maher, placekicker Cole Tracy, punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein as the only players to earn AFCA Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. Rivera was a three-time AFCA NAIA All-America at Southwestern (Kan.) from 2018 to spring 2021, then earned All-America honors in fall of 2021 at Ottawa (Ariz.). Maher was named to the Division III Coaches’ All-America Team in 2017 while at Worcester State, then repeated the honor in 2019 after transferring to Framingham State. Tracy earned second team AFCA All-America honors in Division II at Assumption College in 2017, then transferred to LSU in 2018 and earned second team FBS All-America honors. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches’ All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned AFCA Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.