BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs was named the Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was selected to the 14-member Academic All-Patriot League Team for the second time when honors were announced on Wednesday.
Dobbs (economics, religious studies, 3.76 GPA) is the fourth Crusader to claim the top football academic honor and one of seven multi-year honorees on this season’s Academic All-Patriot League Football Team. Lafayette fifth-year linebacker Marco Olivas (integrative engineering, 3.70 GPA) is the 15th League football student-athlete to earn Academic All-League honors three or more times.
Bucknell senior running back Coleman Bennett (sociology/Spanish, 3.61 GPA), Colgate senior linebacker Tyler Flick (political science, 3.5 GPA) and fifth-year defensive lineman Zack Pelland (neuroscience/writing & philosophy, 3.97 GPA), Fordham junior linebacker James Conway (business administration, 3.57 GPA) and Holy Cross junior running back Jordan Fuller (economics, 3.63 GPA) are all two-time honorees.
Bucknell, Fordham and Holy Cross received three Academic All-Patriot League selections apiece, while Colgate placed two on the squad. Georgetown, Lafayette and Lehigh each had one representative.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
These honors recognize student-athletes who excel in their sport and the classroom. The awards are voted on by Patriot League football sports information directors, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
2023 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB, Macomb, Mich./De La Salle
*Dobbs, a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree, owns a 3.76 cumulative GPA as an economics and religious studies double major.
*The fifth-year linebacker is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the premier scholar-athlete in college football, and the Doris Robinson Award, presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels on the playing field, in the classroom and in the community.
*The two-time Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-League selection broke the Leagues’ career tackles record in the final game of the season, and is second among active FCS players with 432 tackles.
*He led the Patriot League and finished second in the FCS in tackles per game (13.7). He also finished second in the League in TFLs (12.0) and third in sacks (6.0).
2023 Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB
2023 Football Academic All-Patriot League Team
Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Sr. RB
John Ohnegian, Bucknell, So., OL
Ethan Robinson, Bucknell, Jr., DB
Tyler Flick, Colgate, Sr., LB
Zack Pelland, Colgate, 5th-year, DL
James Conway, Fordham, Jr., LB
Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr., P
MJ Wright, Fordham, Gr., WR
VeRon Garrison, Georgetown, Jr., DL
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB
Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB
Tyler Purdy, Holy Cross, 5th-year, RB
Marco Olivas, Lafayette, 5th-year, LB
Christian Jablonski, Lehigh, Sr., OL
Eight First-Team, Three Second-Team All-Patriot League Honorees Make Academic Team
Bennett, Conway, Dobbs, Fuller, Dobbs and Olivas are joined by Bucknell senior defensive back Ethan Robinson (economics, 3.51 GPA) and Fordham graduate student wide receiver MJ Wright (business administration/media management, 3.39/4.00 GPA) all received First Team All-Patriot League accolades when postseason awards were announced on Tuesday. Flick, Pelland and Fordham junior punter Will Haslett (business administration, 3.86 GPA) were all second-team honorees.
Seven Make Academic Squad for the First Time
Seven Patriot League football student-athletes received Academic All-League honors for the first time. Haslett, Robinson, Haslett, Wright, Bucknell sophomore offensive lineman John Ohnegian (undeclared, 3.79 GPA), Holy Cross fifth-year running back Tyler Purdy (economics, religious studies, 3.61 GPA), Georgetown junior defensive lineman VeRon Garrison (marketing, 3.37 GPA) and Lehigh senior offensive lineman Christian Jablonski (supply chain management, 3.38 GPA) were all recognized by the League for their prowess in the classroom, on the field and in the community for the first time.
Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, given after the academic year. One male and one female are selected for this honor.
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.