2023 DIII Analytical All American and All Region Teams
Hansen Ratings, the premier provider of Division III college
football ratings since 2014, is proud to announce the release of its 7th
annual 2023 Division III Football Analytical All-American and All-Region teams.
The All American teams are led by players of the year QB Kaleb
Blaha of UW-River Falls, DL Justin Blazek of UW-Platteville, K/P Cameron Shirangi of Pomona-Pitzer, DB Matt Jung of Bethel, and HC Curt
Fitzpatrick of Cortland.
Kaleb Blaha led the country in combined pass and rush attempts per
game at an unreal clip of 63.3. Looking at the other players in the top 10 in
combined rushing and passing attempts, Kaleb easily had the most efficient
passing and rushing numbers, and he maintained that efficiency against the 7th-most
difficult schedule in the country. That combination of volume, efficiency, and
schedule strength earned Kaleb my MVP honors.
Justin Blazek was my Region 6 Defensive MVP a year ago. He followed
up his amazing 2022 campaign with an even more impressive 2023, totaling 8.5
sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 6 pass
breakups, along with four rushing touchdowns as a goalline
back for the Pioneers. Similarly to his offensive counterpart from River Falls,
Justin racked up these amazing statistics against one of the most difficult schedules
in the country.
Cameron Shirangi led Pomona-Pitzer s
special teams as their kickoff specialist, field goal kicker, and punter, and he
excelled at each of those skills enough to earn first team All-Region 6 honors as
both a kicker and punter. As a punter, Cameron averaged over 46 yards per punt
and had 14 of his punts downed inside the 20. As a kicker, he was a perfect
8-for-8, with multiple long kicks, and he was also among the national leaders
in average kickoff distance and touchback rate.
Matt Jung, a redshirt freshman for the Royals, becomes my first
non-quarterback to earn Freshman MVP honors. Matt was rated as the second-most
valuable defensive back in the entire country and was also tied for second in
total interceptions in the country, returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
Curt Fitzpatrick led the Red Dragons to their first ever national
championship, with his team advancing through the national playoffs with multiple
thrilling finishes, mostly on the road, and a dominating victory in the
national semifinals. Even with high expectations coming into the season,
Cortland was among one of the most improved teams in the country in 2023.
The Hansen Ratings All American and All Region teams are determined
by mathematical formula. Players are awarded for efficiency, volume, impactful
plays, and quality competition. All Division III football players are eligible
for selection. The main metrics in the calculation are Total Adjusted Yards per
Play (TAYP) and Yards Above Replacement Player per Game (YARP/G).
Coaches of the year are selected based on the overall success of
their team, by how much they improved this season, and by how far they exceeded
preseason expectations.