Football | 12/15/2023 10:15:00 AM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For the second time in University of Central Missouri football history, the Mules have the top player in NCAA Division II as quarterback
Zach Zebrowski has won the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy for the NCAA Division II Football Player of the Year, the Great American Conference and Little Rock Touchdown Club announced Friday, December 15.
Zebrowski, a redshirt junior from Woodbury, Minn., joins former UCM All-American quarterback Eric Czerniewski as a Harlon Hill winner, as Czerniewski won the honor in 2010.
A 2023 AFCA and Associated Press Division II First Team All-American, Zebrowski had a record-breaking season as he helped lead the Mules to an overall record of 11-2 and a MIAA Conference Championship with a conference mark of 9-1. The 11 wins tied for most in program history while the conference title was the 14th in UCM history. Central Missouri advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II Playoffs, marking the fifth playoff appearance in program history.
Zebrowski, the Ron Lenz D2CCA Offensive Player of the Year, set new NCAA Division II records for passing touchdowns (61), total offensive yards (5,690), points responsible for (380) and TDs responsible for (63 - 61 pass, two rush) in UCM's 13 games this season. He also established new UCM and MIAA records for passing touchdowns (8), passing yards (615 yards) and total offense (673 yards) in a single-game in the Mules' 77-27 win over then No. 23-ranked Emporia State Oct. 21.
Zebrowski became the first NCAA Division II quarterback - and just the sixth in all of college football - to throw for at least 60 touchdowns in a season with his 61 TD passes.
During the 2023 season, Zebrowski led all of NCAA Division II in total offense (437.7 yards per game), passing yards (5,157 yards), passing touchdowns (61), points responsible for (380), points responsible for per game (29.2 points per game) and passing yards per game (396.7 yards per game). He was second in completions per game (32 per game) and passing efficiency (173.0).
Zebrowski was also named the 2023 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year and the 2023 D2CCA Super Region III Offensive Player of the Year. He earned First Team All-MIAA, D2CCA Super Region III and D2CCA All-American accolades.
The sports information directors at the 161 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the Harlon Hill Award. The 38 initial candidates were placed on regional ballots with the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions advancing to the national ballot when voting concluded Monday, Nov. 27. A tie in Super Region III resulted in three finalists coming from that region.
The winner was determined by a nation-wide vote of NCAA Division II school and conference SID's. The national voting process occurred Nov. 29 through Dec. 8.
The Harlon Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama (UNA) standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
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