Football

MIAC's Wheeler, Williams honored at Allstate Sugar Bowl

NEW ORLEANS -- A pair of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football standouts were celebrated at halftime of the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day. 

Saint John's University senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler and Bethel University senior cornerback Devin Williams were selected to the 34th annual Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® for their extraordinary commitment to community service. The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.

| AFCA Release |

"These young men are passionate leaders with hearts driven to serve others," two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner, 2009 Good Works Team member, and 2008 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy recipient Tim Tebow said in the AFCA press release that announced the honorees last September. "It's an honor to celebrate the many ways they make their communities better."

Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn. / Mounds View) was a consensus All-American in 2024 and received recognition again in 2025 from both D3football.com and the Associated Press. Wheeler started each of SJU's last 34 games and owns three conference or program receiving records, including six MIAC games with multiple touchdown receptions and 12 MIAC games with at least 100 receiving yards. Wheeler also holds the SJU record for games of three receiving touchdowns or more (8). He ended his career in December ranked second in program history in receptions (247), receiving yards (3,182), receiving touchdowns (50) and 100-yard receiving games (15). In the classroom, the accounting and finance double-major was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team. In the community, Wheeler launched a performance-based fundraiser that raised more than $25,000 for Folds of Honor in 2024, helping to provide scholarships for families of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. A three-year member and newly elected president of the SJU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Wheeler has also helped raise more than $35,000 and pack nearly 100,000 meals for children in need during his time in Collegeville. He has also taken a service trip to the Bahamas and continues to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital alongside his team.

Williams (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) was the MIAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America selection from the AFCA, AP, and D3football.com. Williams finished the 2025 campaign with 86 tackles - 48 solo - and three interceptions. He also ranked eighth in NCAA Division III with a punt return average of 14.3 yards per return. Off the field, Williams has poured over 260 hours into mentoring students with intellectual disabilities through the Bethel BUILD program, which helps young people develop life skills and navigate internships. He also coaches youth football and baseball, using sports to teach leadership, teamwork, and discipline. Williams also volunteers his time to pack meals with Feed My Starving Children, clean up local areas, and organize community events, including the Springbrook Nature Center Pumpkin Walk. He has also helped manage youth sports tournaments in his hometown in his commitment to nurturing the next generation.

Wheeler and Williams were selected from a record 195 nominees, submitted by college sports information directors and coaches nationwide. Eleven players were selected from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), with the other 11 more coming from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II, III, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). University of Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables was named the honorary head coach. Seven of the eleven non-FBS honorees play at the NCAA Division III level.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads all college athletic conferences with 91 selections to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 58 selections, and the MIAC with 45 selections.

The full team roster and their stories of community service can be found at ESPN.com/Allstate.
 
2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®
FBS
Name Pos. Cl. School
Genesis Smith DB Jr. Arizona
Red Murdock LB Gr. Buffalo
Tanner Wall NB/S R-Sr. BYU
Adam Randall RB Gr. Clemson
Chandler Rivers CB Sr. Duke
Richie Leonard IV OL R-Sr. Florida State
Josh Kattus TE Sr. Kentucky
Aamil Wagner OL R-Jr. Notre Dame
Plae Wyatt NB/S R-Sr. Rice
Michael Taaffe DB Sr. Texas
Matt Hofer OL R-Fr. Toledo
FCS, Divisions II, III, and NAIA
Name Pos. Cl. School
Carter St. John QB Sr. Alma
Devin Williams DB Sr. Bethel
Terian Williams II DB Sr. Bucknell
Canyon Schneider OL Sr. Denison
Nolan Ulm WR Sr. Eastern Washington
Auvic White RB Sr. Hendrix
Owen Schuckert K/P Sr. John Carroll
Charlie Pearson OL Sr. Johns Hopkins
Lennx Brown WR Sr. Morningside
Logan Kopp LB Sr. North Dakota State
Dylan Wheeler WR Sr. Saint John's
Honorary Head Coach
Brent Venables, Oklahoma

A complete list of every Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® honoree from the MIAC can be found below.
All-Time Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Honorees From The MIAC
Year Position Player School
1997 TE Ted Schultz Augsburg
1998 WR Eric Runyan Bethel
1998 WR Mark Warder St. Thomas
1999 QB Greg Kaiser St. Thomas
1999 OL Chico Rowland Bethel
1999 DL Nathan Schneeberger Hamline
1999 DB Aaron Douglas St. Olaf
2000 QB Aaron Quitmeyer Macalester
2000 RB Mike Westland St. Thomas
2001 WR Brian Brenberg St. Thomas
2002 WR Andrew Hilliard St. Thomas
2003 LB John Kaiser St. Thomas
2004 LB Matt Wassink Bethel
2004 DB Paul Sommerstad St. Thomas
2005 WR A.J. Parnell Bethel
2005 DT Ben Kessler St. Thomas
2006 WR P.J. Theisen St. Thomas
2006 DL Kevin McNamara Saint John's
2007 LB Patrick Sommerstad St. Thomas
2008 RB Mikkel Haugen St. Thomas
2009 WR Reid Velo Bethel
2009 DB Jeffrey Hilliard St. Thomas
2012 LB Michael Valesano St. Thomas
2013 DB J.D. Melhorn Bethel
2014 OL Joshua Perkins Bethel
2015 DB Matt Mehlhorn Bethel
2016 TE Drew Neuville Bethel
2017 WR Will Gillach Saint John's
2017 LB Josh Dalki Bethel
2018 QB Jackson Erdmann Saint John's
2018 DE Kyle Kilgore Bethel
2019 OL Ben Bartch Saint John's
2019 OL Danny Munoz Bethel
2020 QB Chris Backes Saint John's
2020 FB/LB Mike Delich Bethel
2021 QB Jaran Roste Bethel
2022 DE Michael Wozniak Saint John's
2022 S Matt Feldick Bethel
2023 WR Jimmy Buck Saint John's
2023 OL Evan Ginter Bethel
2024 RB Aaron Ellingson Bethel
2024 LB Jake Schwinghammer Saint John's
2025 WR Dylan Wheeler Saint John's
2025 CB Devin Williams Bethel