Football | 12/16/2025 8:11:44 AM
Five Empire 8 football standouts were named to the 2025 Associated Press (AP) Division III Football All-America Teams on Thursday, Dec. 18. running back Isaiah Simmons of SUNY Brockport and linebacker Aden Wiser of SUNY Cortland were named first team selections, while tight end Logan Frederick of Utica University was a second team pick and defensive backs Eli Douglas also of Utica and Nazair Jean-Lubin of Cortland were third team picks.
Both Simmons and Wiser earned AFCA All-America honors, D3football.com All-Region 2 first team, and Empire 8 first team honors. Wiser was the 2025 E8 Defensive Player of the Year. Frederick, Douglas and Jean-Lubin were previously All-E8 first team picks and D3football.com All-Region first team selections.
Simmons finished his 2025 season third in NCAA Division III in total rushing yards with 1,609 and second in rushing touchdowns with 23 all on 241 carries. He averaged 146.27 yards per game and had a season-long average of 6.7 yards per carry. In the passing game, he contributed 22 catches for 147 yards and added one receiving touchdown. In addition, he was named MVP of the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl Game on Nov. 22. He has excelled in his first three seasons with the Golden Eagles, having rushed for 3,697 yards on 565 carries (6.5 yards per rush) with 48 rushing touchdowns. His two receiving TDs give him 50 for his career at Brockport, as he is also closing in on 4,000 total yards from scrimmage.
Wiser, the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, who hails from Highland, NY, finished the season with 38 tackles, 26 solo, in 11 games. The senior linebacker led the Red Dragons with seven sacks and 9.5 total tackles for loss. Wiser also recorded seven quarterback hurries, an interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. He posted three sacks in a win at Morrisville, 2.5 sacks in Cortland's season opener versus Grove City, and a sack and forced fumble in a win over Utica.
Frederick, a senior from Little Falls, NY, put up tremendous offensive numbers from his tight end position to become one of the biggest offensive threats in the Empire 8. He ranked second in the Empire 8 for receptions (74) and first for receiving touchdowns (12) during his senior season, despite being ranked among the conference's top receivers. Frederick nnamed to the D3football.com Team of the Week three separate times during the season, cementing his status as a top-tier tight end in all of Division III Football. His ability to accrue yards after the catch saw him become one of the best players in the Empire 8 after the catch, deftly evading defenders and using his large stature to gain extra yards on nearly every reception. Frederick also excelled in the classroom, earning the Empire 8 Football Torchbearer Award, posting the highest cumulative GPA among the top two finishing schools in the Empire 8, earning him the prestigious honor.
Douglas, a senior from Ausable Forks, NY, turned in another impressive campaign from his position in the Pioneer secondary, gaining conference recognition for the second straight season as he jumped to the first team for the first time in his career. The Pioneers' senior leader ranked second on the team in tackles with 62, while also leading the team in interceptions and pass breakups with six each. He ranked third in the conference for passes defended with 12, while also leading the league with his six interceptions. His 78-yard pick-six to wrap the regular season win over SUNY Brockport on Nov. 15 was the longest such play by any Empire 8 team this season. Douglas currently has career marks of 196 tackles, 33 passes defended, and 14 interceptions, which place him third on the program's career interception chart. Douglas was named to the
D3football.com Team of the Week and selected as the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week once each during 2025.
Jean-Lubin, a junior cornerback from Freeport, NY, led Cortland this fall with four interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 11 games. Jean-Lubin also registered 32 tackles, 22 solo, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He intercepted passes in wins over Union, Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Alfred State and had three pass breakups in a win over Utica.