Football | 11/22/2023 4:49:00 PM
Cortland junior quarterback Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) has been announced as one of 20 semifinalists for the 30th Gagliardi Trophy. The award (pronounced Gah-LAR-dee) is presented by Stearns Bank and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minn.) to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993 (except for 2020), recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, legendary Hall of Fame head football coach at Saint John's who passed away in 2018 at age 91. He retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.
Boyes is among a group of 10 quarterbacks, three defensive linemen, three running backs, two linebackers, one wide receiver and one defensive back on the list of semifinalists, 14 of which participated in the NCAA Division III tournament first round. The list will be narrowed to a group of finalists who will be announced during a live show on Thursday, Dec. 7, on D3football.com, and the 2023 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship on Friday, Dec. 15.
The award is voted on by the 40-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee that includes Division III coaches, administrators, notable regional voters, and national voters with Division III backgrounds.
Fan balloting, which is available at https://d3football.com/gagliardi-voting, accounts for one collective "41st" ballot. Fans may cast one ballot per device through 1 p.m. on Dec. 2.
The Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Boyes has completed 179-of-250 passes (71.6 percent) for 2,729 yards and 30 touchdowns with just three interceptions through 11 games, to date. He's also rushed for 572 yards and seven touchdowns. He currently ranks third nationally in Division III in passing efficiency (200.5 rating), fourth in yards per pass attempt (10.9), 10th in completion percentage, 12th in passing yards per completion (15.3), 16th in passing touchdowns and 19th in total offense (300.1 yards/game).
Boyes is a physical education major at Cortland with a 3.27 cumulative grade point average entering the 2023 fall semester. A two-year team captain, Boyes is the football team's representative on Cortland's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a National Society of Leadership and Success honoree. He organized a group of teammates to assist the local Marine Corps League, and he's worked in Buffalo in the summer at the Cross Training Athletics camp.
Boyes is Cortland's second Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist in three years; quarterback Brees Segala was a 2021 semifinalist. Cortland also has had two previous Gagliardi Trophy finalists - quarterback (and current Cincinnati Bengals QB coach) Dan Pitcher in 2011 and defensive lineman Adam Haas in 2006 - under a previous format where 10 players were recognized with that title.
The 20 semifinalists for the 2023 Gagliardi Trophy are:
Kaleb Blaha, Jr., QB, Wisconsin-River Falls
Justin Blazek, Sr., DL, Wisconsin-Platteville
Kolbe Blunt, Sr., RB, Belhaven
Zac Boyes, Jr., QB, Cortland
Jake Breitbach, Sr., WR, Gustavus Adolphus
Brandon Cade, Jr., RB, Berry
Drew Campanale, Sr., QB, Randolph-Macon
Destin Chance, Jr., QB, Illinois College
Robert Coury, Sr., LB, Carnegie Mellon
Owen Grover, Sr., LB, Wartburg
Egon Hein, Sr., DB, Wisconsin-Whitewater
Keyser Helterbrand, Sr., QB, Wisconsin-La Crosse
Tucker Horn, Sr., QB, Trinity (TX)
Tomás Kenary, Sr., DL, Middlebury
Luke Lehnen, Jr., QB, North Central
Braxton Plunk, Sr., QB, Mount Union
Luke Schuermann, Sr., DL, Johns Hopkins
Aaron Syverson, Sr., QB, St. John's (MN)
Josh Taylor, Sr., QB, Mount St. Joseph's
Giovanni Weeks, Sr., RB, Wheaton (IL)
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The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
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