COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Carleton College quarterback Jack Curtis is 1 of 15 semifinalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank. The honor is awarded annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player and recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service.
 
(VOTE for Jack Curtis here)
 
This marks the first time that a Carleton football player has been announced as a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, which has been given annually since 1993 and is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.
 
The 2025 MIAC Offensive Player of the Year, Curtis had a record-breaking senior season despite undergoing biweekly chemotherapy throughout the season after being diagnosed with late-stage 2 "unfavorable" Hodgkin's lymphoma in June. He finished the season 284-for-392 (72.45 percent completion rate) for 3,120 yards with 29 TDs as he broke Carleton single-season records for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards and had the second-highest passing touchdown total.
 
Curtis also broke the MIAC single-season record with 254 completions and tied MIAC record with seven 300-yard passing performances in conference play. His 2,918 passing yards in conference games are third-most ever by a MIAC passer during league play, an impressive feat given that he also missed nearly 1.5 conference games with multiple fractures in his throwing hand.
 
Away from the field, Curtis is a physics major and completed his senior comprehensive project on "Hypersonic airflow and propulsion." He is a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree in football, with a third award anticipated this winter. He already owns multiple Academic All-MIAC honors for football and baseball. In the community, he has been involved with Meals on Wheels, participated in Quarterbacks vs. Cancer fundraising, served as a volunteer flag football coach, and provided toys for other cancer patients Christmas' at the Mayo Clinic.
 
This year's 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy include nominees from all six NCAA regions:
 
Robby Ballentine | WR | Sr. | DePauw
Connor Barry | QB | Jr. | Christopher Newport
Kaleb Blaha | QB | Sr. | Wisconsin-River Falls
Kyle Brown | QB | Sr. | Hardin-Simmons
Jack Curtis | QB | Sr. | Carleton
Josh Ehrlich | QB | Sr. | Susquehanna
Mark Forcucci | QB | Sr. | Wheaton
Bay Harvey | QB | Gr. | Johns Hopkins
Gary Lewis | WR | Sr. | Franklin and Marshall
Diamontie "Montie" Quinn | RB | Sr. | Curry
Albert Rundell | WR | Jr. | Bethel
Nick Semptimphelter | QB | Gr. | John Carroll
Thomas Skokna | WR | Sr. | North Central
Tyler Szalkowski | QB | Sr. | Utica
Eddie Williams | RB | Sr. | Alma
 
The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 18 Division III coaches (three from each NCAA Region), six Division III administrators (one from each region), 12 regional notable voters (two from each region) and six national voters with Division III backgrounds. A fan vote, which runs until Dec. 15, will be live soon on D3football.com. No J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.
 
The 42-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee reviews the credentials, ranks the candidates 1-3, and casts their votes. Fan balloting, which is available on D3football.com, accounts for the 43rd ballot, and is being conducted on D3football.com for the 14th consecutive season. Fans will be permitted to cast one ballot per device.
 
The Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be announced during a live show at 4 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 18, on D3football.com. Host Pat Coleman will profile the finalists during the program. The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship game. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner, D3football.com will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement.