d3photography.com photos by Doug Sasse, Caleb Williams, Tom Nettelton, Ryan Coleman, Doug Sasse

Three quarterbacks, a wide receiver and a linebacker make up the five finalists for the 2023 Gagliardi Trophy, an award presented to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. The award is presented by presenting sponsor Stearns Bank.

The Gagliardi Trophy, which was first awarded in 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after the late 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. Gagliardi passed away in October 2018 at the age of 91. 

The finalists for the award are North Central quarterback Luke Lehnen; Mount Union quarterback Braxton Plunk; Gustavus Adolphus wide receiver Jake Breitbach, Wartburg linebacker Owen Grover and Trinity (Texas) quarterback Tucker Horn. The finalists were revealed by D3football.com on Thursday, Dec. 7, in a live-streaming broadcast. The winner of the Gagliardi Trophy will be announced by D3football.com on Friday, Dec. 15, prior to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. 

The trophy design features a sculpture of Gagliardi and a player, representing the teacher-coach and the student-athlete in a one-on-one sideline consultation. Hand-cast in bronze on a polished wood base, the trophy stands nearly two feet tall and weighs more than 40 pounds. The words "The Gagliardi Trophy presented by Stearns Bank" are printed on the acrylic panel behind the figures. The words "Division III Player of the Year" and "Honoring Excellence in Football, Academics and Community Service" are etched on two panels below the figures.

Nominations were submitted by colleges across the country, and 20 semifinalists were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The finalists then moved on to the Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee, which is comprised of 18 coaches, six NCAA Division III administrators, 12 regional voters and seven national Division III experts. Each cast a ballot ranking the top three semifinalists. A fan ballot, which served as the 41st committee member was operated on D3football.com had more than 40,000 votes cast.

The remainder of the semifinalists: UW-River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha; UW-Platteville defensive end Justin Blazek, Belhaven running back Kolbe Blunt, Cortland quarterback Zac Boyes, Berry running back Brandon Cade; Randolph-Macon quarterback Drew Campanale; Illinois College quarterback Destin Chance; Carnegie Mellon linebacker Robert Coury; UW-Whitewater cornerback Egon Hein; UW-La Crosse quarterback Keyser Helterbrand; Middlebury defensive lineman Tomás Kenary; Johns Hopkins defensive lineman Luke Schuermann; St. John's quarterback Aaron Syverson; Mount St. Joseph quarterback Josh Taylor and Wheaton running back Giovanni Weeks.

Watch the finalist announcement show: