BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Patriot League football co-champions Lafayette and Holy Cross split the League’s four football major awards when the 2023 football postseason honors were announced on Tuesday.
 
Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs collected Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time during his record-breaking career. Crusaders’ senior quarterback Matthew Sluka received Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Lafayette freshman defensive lineman Jaylon Joseph was voted Patriot League Football Rookie of the Year. Head coach John Troxell received the Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year after guiding the Leopards to their first League title and FCS-Playoff appearance since 2013.
 
Overall, 61 student-athletes earned a spot on the First- and Second-Team All-Patriot League Teams, with Lafayette and Fordham leading the way with 12 selections apiece. Holy Cross finished with 11 All-League honorees, Colgate added 10 and Georgetown placed nine student-athletes on the two All-League teams. Bucknell and Lehigh had four and three representatives, respectively.
 
The seven League football head coaches voted on the Patriot League major awards and All-League teams. They could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
 
2023 Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year
Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB, Locust Valley, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial
2023 Stats:11 GP, 122-of-197 passing for 1,728 yards, 20 TD passes, 5 INTs, 164.0 pass efficiency, 186 rushes, 1,247 yards, 9 TDs, 6.7 yds/carry
*Sluka is a three-time All-Patriot League selection, earning first-team accolades twice, guiding Holy Cross to at least a share of a Patriot League record five straight League titles.
*The two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week also earned FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after breaking a single-game FCS record for rushing yards by a QB with 330 vs. Lafayette.
*He finished the season with 1,247 rushing yards, tops among FCS QBs and ranks 11th in Patriot League history with 3,583 career rushing yards and ninth with 38 career rushing touchdowns.
*The two-time Walter Payton Award finalist finished seventh among FCS quarterbacks in pass efficiency (162.9) and 17th in touchdown passes (20) while placing 10 in points responsible for per game (16.0).
 
2023 Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB, Macomb, Mich./De La Salle
2023 Stats: 9 GP, 123 tackles, 12.0 TFLs of 39 yards, 6.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 14 quarterback hurries
*The four-time All-Patriot League selection and two-time League defensive player of the year led the Patriot League and finished second in the FCS with tackles per game (13.7).
*Dobbs recorded at least 1.0 TFL and a half sack in each of his final six games of the season to finish second in the League in TFLs (12.0) and third in sacks (6.0).
*He eclipsed the Patriot League’s career tackles mark in the second half of the Crusaders’ season-finale against Georgetown, giving him 432 tackles, second among all active FCS players.
*Dobbs earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors four times and is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the FCS defensive player of the year, for the second time in his career.
 
2023 Patriot League Football Rookie of the Year
Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr., DL, Houston, Texas/North Shore
2023 Stats: 26 tackles (13 solo), 5.5 TFLs of 31 yards, 4.0 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries, 1 blocked kick
*Joseph led all Patriot League freshmen with 4.0 sacks, tying for the lead with 5.5 TFLs for 31 yards to help a Lafayette defense that held opponents to a League-best 22.2 points per game.
*He earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 18 after recording three tackles, a half sack and a quarterback hurry in the Leopards’ 24-3 win over Columbia.
*The Houston, Texas native finished with three tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack to hold Fordham’s high-powered offense to 16 points in a 24-16 victory.
 
2023 Patriot League Football Dick Biddle Coach of the Year
John Troxell, Lafayette
*Troxell helped the Leopards make a five-win improvement in 2023 to earn a share of their first Patriot League title since 2013 and the program’s fifth trip to the FCS Playoffs.
*The Lafayette graduate guided a Leopards’ team that led the Patriot League and finished among the FCS leaders in scoring defense (22.2 pts./gm.) while finishing fifth in the FCS in team sacks per game (3.18) and 13th in TFLs per game (7.3).  
*His squad featured one of the nation’s top rushing attacks, placing second in the League and 14th in the FCS, averaging 195.7 yards per game.
*The disciplined Leopards also finished sixth in the FCS with the fewest penalties per game (4.45).
 
2023 All-Patriot League Football by the Numbers
Dobbs, Olivas and Wright Join Four-Time All-Patriot League Club
Holy Cross’s Dobbs, Lafayette fifth-year linebacker Marco Olivas and Fordham graduate student wide receiver MJ Wright join a list of 28 Patriot League football student-athletes to be voted to four All-League teams. Dobbs and Olivas are both three-time first-time selections.
 
Six Receive All-League Accolades for the Third Time
Holy Cross’s Sluka, the League’s offensive player of the year, highlights a list of six Patriot League football players to garner All-League accolades for the third time. Lafayette senior tight end Mason Gilbert and Holy Cross senior offensive lineman Luke Newman have made the first team in each of the last three seasons. Sluka, Crusaders’ senior wide receiver Jalen Coker and Fordham junior linebacker James Conway are two-time first-team selections. Holy Cross senior tight end Sean Morris is a three-time second-team honoree.
 
Eleven Earn Postseason Honors for the Second Season
Four Holy Cross student-athletes earned All-Patriot League honors for the second time, including three offensive linemen, C.J. Hanson, Pat McMurtrie and Eric Schon. Crusaders’ junior running back Jordan Fuller also earned his second postseason honor. Colgate and Fordham also had three players garner postseason accolades for the second time. The Raiders’ senior linebacker Tyler Flick, senior offensive lineman Bardhyl Gashi and junior punter Shelby Pruett were joined by the Rams’ junior running back Julius Loughridge, senior placekicker Brandon Peskin and graduate student offensive lineman Lucas Portes as two-time honorees. Lehigh senior linebacker Mike DeNucci is also a two-time All-League selection.
 
Two Players Earn All-League Accolades at Two Positions
Bucknell senior Coleman Bennett earned first-team accolades as a return specialist and second-team honors as a running back. Georgetown sophomore Nicholas Dunneman was a second-team selection as a wide receiver and a return specialist.  
 
2023 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
Defensive Player of the Year – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB
Rookie of the Year – Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr., DL
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year - John Troxell, Lafayette
 
2023 All-Patriot League Football First Team
First-Team Offense (15)
QB: Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Jr.
RB: Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr.
RB: Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, So.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, So.
WR: MJ Wright, Fordham, Gr.
WR: Jalen Coker, Holy Cross, Sr.
TE: Mason Gilbert, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Lucas Portes, Fordham, Gr.
OL: CJ Hanson, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Luke Newman, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Mike Barr, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: John Olmstead, Lafayette, 5th-year
PK: Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr.
RS: Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Sr.
 
First-Team Defense (14)
DL: Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Mateen Ibirogba, Georgetown, So.
DL: Dillon Springer, Holy Cross, Sr.
DL: Blamassi Meite, Lafayette, 5th-year
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Jr.
LB: Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year
LB: Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, 5th-year
LB: Marco Olivas, Lafayette, 5th-year
DB: Ethan Robinson, Bucknell, Jr.
DB: Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr.
DB: Nahil Perkins, Fordham, Sr.
DB: Saiku White, Lafayette, Jr.
P: Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Jr.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS) – Max Hurleman, Colgate, Sr.
 
Second-Team Offense (16)*
QB: C.J. Montes, Fordham, So.
QB: Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, So.
RB: Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Sr.
RB: Joshua Stakely, Georgetown, Gr.
WR: Garrett Cody, Fordham, WR
WR: Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, So.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, So.
TE: Sean Morris, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate, Sr
OL: Chance Niesner, Colgate, Jr.
OL: Patrick McMurtrie, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Eric Schon, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Ryder Langsdale, Lafayette, Jr.
PK: Jacob Jaworski, Colgate, Sr.
RS: Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So.
 
Second-Team Defense (16)*
DL: Zack Pelland, Colgate, 5th-year
DL: Claudy Robinson, Fordham, So.
DL: Ibri Harrell, Georgetown, Jr.
DL: Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr.
DL: Dean Colton, Lehigh, 5th-year
LB: Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Jr.
LB: Tyler Flick, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Christian Sweeney, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Sr.
DB: Stephen Williams II, Fordham, Sr.
DB: Rashon Adams Jr., Georgetown, Jr.
DB: Jaden Dugger, Georgetown, So.
DB: Terrence Spence, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, So.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr.
STNS: Will Kessler, Georgetown, Sr.
 
*Additional student-athletes were selected to the second-team offense and defense due to ties in the voting
 
All-Patriot League Selections Among FCS Leaders
*Holy Cross Jr. RB Jordan Fuller leads the FCS in rushing touchdowns (18), total touchdowns (19) and scoring (11.4 ppg).
*Holy Cross Sr. WR Jalen Coker leads the FCS and tied former Lehigh star and current Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini’s single-season Patriot League record with 15 touchdown receptions. He is also fifth in the FCS with 1,040 receiving yards.
*Lafayette So. RB Jamar Curtis is second in the FCS in rushing yards per game (133.3) and fourth in rushing yards (1,333).
*Holy Cross’s Dobbs is second in the FCS in total tackles per game (13.7), while Fordham junior linebacker James Conway (11.7) is fifth.
*Lafayette 5th-year LB Billy Shaeffer is third in the FCS in TFLs per game (1.9) and fourth in sacks per game (0.91).
*Fordham Sr. DB Nahil Perkins (1.5) and Bucknell Jr. DB Ethan Robinson (1.4) are fourth and fifth in the FCS, respectively in passes defended per game.
*Georgetown So. WR Jimmy Kibble is third in the FCS, averaging 22.82 yards per reception.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.