COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Bethel junior wide receiver Albert Rundell and Carleton senior quarterback Jack Curtis have been selected as two of the five finalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank, the Saint John’s University J-Club announced on Thursday.
Curtis and Rundell join UW-River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha, Curry running back Montie Quinn, and Johns Hopkins quarterback Bay Harvey as the five finalists for this year’s award.
This is the fifth time in history, and the first time since 2015, that the MIAC has had two finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy in the same season. The MIAC has had 37 semifinalists, 31 finalists, and five Gagliard Trophy recipients since its inception in 1993.
| Gagliardi Trophy Press Release | Finalist Show | All-Time Gagliardi Trophy Winners |
The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, is awarded to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player and recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach, who passed away at the age of 91 in 2018. John retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.
Curtis (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell) is the Knights’ first-ever Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist. 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 for 3,120 yards with 29 touchdowns, breaking Carleton's single-season records for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards. He also broke the MIAC single-season record with 254 completions, and tied the MIAC record with seven 300-yard passing performances in conference play. His 2,918 passing yards in conference games are the 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." 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 festivities at the Mayo Clinic.
Rundell (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) has totaled 105 receptions for 1,489 yards and 21 touchdowns through 11 games played in 2025. His receiving yardage total leads all levels of college football, while his 21 touchdown grabs rank second in NCAA Division III, and his 9.55 receptions per game rank third. Rundell’s MIAC-record 21 receptions and five touchdown grabs highlighted the Royals in their victory over Carleton on November 8. Rundell finished that game with 214 yards receiving, his second-highest single-game yardage total for the season. He set a program record with 246 receiving yards on 11 catches in a victory over St. Olaf on October 18.
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 which included a fan vote which ran until Dec. 15. No Saint John’s J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.
The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship.
All-Time MIAC Gagliardi Trophy Nominees
| 1993 |
Willie Seiler |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 1994 |
Matt Malberg |
RB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 1995 |
Chris Palmer |
WR |
Saint John’s |
Winner |
| 1996 |
Kurt Ramler |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 1997 |
Derrin Lamker |
QB |
Augsburg |
Finalist |
| 1998 |
Scott Hvistendahl |
WR |
Augsburg |
Winner |
| 2000 |
Tom Linnemann |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2001 |
Hans Bengtson |
S |
Bethel |
Finalist |
| 2002 |
Blake Elliott |
WR/RET |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2002 |
Andrew Hilliard |
WR |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2003 |
Sam Lacy |
S |
Bethel |
Finalist |
| 2003 |
Blake Elliott |
WR/RET |
Saint John’s |
Winner |
| 2004 |
Jordan Talge |
CB |
Concordia |
Finalist |
| 2005 |
Damien Dumonceaux |
DT |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2006 |
Kirby Carr |
LB |
Bethel |
Finalist |
| 2007 |
Alex Kofoed |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2007 |
P.J. Theisen |
WR |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2008 |
Jordan Berg |
QB |
Augsburg |
Finalist |
| 2010 |
Ben Wartman |
RB |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2011 |
Fritz Waldvogel |
WR/RET |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2012 |
Curtis James |
C |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2014 |
Sam Sura |
RB |
Saint John’s |
Semifinalist |
| 2015 |
Sam Sura |
RB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2015 |
David Simmet |
T |
St. Thomas |
Finalist |
| 2016 |
Carter Hanson |
LB |
Saint John’s |
Winner |
| 2018 |
Jackson Erdmann |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Winner |
| 2019 |
Jackson Erdmann |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2019 |
Josh Parks |
RB |
St. Thomas |
Semifinalist |
| 2021 |
Jaran Roste |
QB |
Bethel |
Semifinalist |
| 2022 |
Jaran Roste |
QB |
Bethel |
Finalist |
| 2022 |
Michael Wozniak |
DL |
Saint John’s |
Semifinalist |
| 2023 |
Jake Breitbach |
WR |
Gustavus |
Finalist |
| 2023 |
Aaron Syverson |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Semifinalist |
| 2024 |
Matt Jung |
S |
Bethel |
Semifinalist |
| 2024 |
Aaron Syverson |
QB |
Saint John’s |
Finalist |
| 2025 |
Jack Curtis |
QB |
Carleton |
Finalist |
| 2025 |
Albert Rundell |
WR |
Bethel |
Finalist |
| Year |
Name |
Position |
Institution |
Honor |