Jack Curtis, Kaleb Blaha, Montie Quinn, Bay Harvey and Albert Rundell are the five finalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy. d3photography.com photos by Ryan Coleman, Wade Gardner, Steve LaBonte, Mike Atherton and Caleb Williams

The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy will make its home in a new place, as the field has been whittled down to five finalists, all from schools whom have never had a player win Division III football's top individual honor.

Five finalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, presented by Stearns Bank, for the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III were announced. These five finalists were cut down from 15 semifinalists announced two weeks ago.

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.

Stearns Bank’s longtime CEO Norm Skalicky and Gagliardi were great friends and admirers of one another. Both became legends in their respective fields - not just because of their success, but because of how they looked uniquely upon their work.

The five finalists include the top passer, rusher and receiver in Division III. Kaleb Blaha, UW-River Falls leads the nation in passing; the top rusher is Montie Quinn of Curry; and Albert Rundell of Bethel leads all receivers. Blaha and quarterback Bay Harvey of Johns Hopkins will face off this Saturday at River Falls for a chance to play in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Division III football championship game, on Jan. 4, 2026, in Canton, Ohio. The final finalist is Jack Curtis of Carleton, the MIAC’s player of the year. Curtis has a remarkable story of battling cancer while passing for 312 yards per game, leading the MIAC in passing yards and leading the Knights to a third-place finish in the conference.

Division III football fans cast 29,879 votes online in the annual D3football.com Fan Vote, and John Carroll quarterback Nick Semptimphelter got a late surge to run away with 25.8% of the fan vote. Blaha finished second with 13.7%, while Robby Ballentine finished third with 13.5%.

The trophy design features a sculpture of Gagliardi and a player, representing the teacher-coach and the student-athlete in a one-on-one sideline consultation. Hand-cast in bronze on a polished wood base, the trophy stands nearly two feet tall and weighs more than 40 pounds. The words "The Gagliardi Trophy presented by Stearns Bank" are printed on the acrylic panel behind the figures. The words "Division III Player of the Year" and "Honoring Excellence in Football, Academics and Community Service" are etched on two panels below the figures.

The Gagliardi Trophy finalists were announced by D3football.com hosts Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas during a live show on D3football.com. The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner, D3football.com will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement.

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.

Watch the finalist announcement show, with highlights of all 15 semifinalists: