WACO, Texas -- Wartburg College senior linebacker
Keenan Tyler has been named a First Team Defensive All-American by the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA), as announced today.
Tyler (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah) turned in a career-best campaign during the 2025 season, recording 124 total tackles, the fourth-highest single-season mark in program history. He ranked second in the American Rivers Conference in solo tackles per game (6.64) and third in total tackles.
The senior set a program single-game record with 20 tackles against Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 1, while posting seven double-digit tackle performances on the season. Tyler shattered the previous school record of 17 tackles, set by Drew Kooi against Bethel in 2013.
In addition to his tackle totals, Tyler established career highs across the board, including 73 solo tackles, 51 assisted tackles, seven tackles for loss, and seven pass breakups.
Tyler was named the 2025 American Rivers Conference Defensive Most Valuable Player, becoming the fourth consecutive Wartburg player to earn the league's top defensive honor—setting both a program and conference record. He was also a First Team All-A-R-C selection and a two-time Defensive Player of the Week recipient.
With Tyler's selection, Wartburg has now produced an AFCA All-American in four straight seasons, with Tyler becoming the 10th Knight in program history to earn First Team recognition.
Wartburg's First-team AFCA All-Americans:
2001 Joel Demro, OL
2003 Cody Kelley, DB
2004 Brian McIntire, DB
2007 Nick Weber, DB
2014 Chris Brinkmeier, OL
2017 Derek Schipper, OL
2019 Nic Vetter, OL
2023 Owen Grover, LB
2024
Tucker Kinney, OL
2025 Keenan Tyler, LB
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team - First Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Kaleb Blaha 6-2 201 Sr. UW-River Falls Matt Walker Coon Rapids, Minn. (Fridley)
RB *Montie Quinn 5-9 180 Sr. Curry Todd Parsons Goose Creek, S.C. (Stratford)
RB Eddie Williams 5-10 200 Sr. Alma Jason Couch Eastpointe, Mich. (Fraser)
WR Eli Aston 6-0 185 So. Mount St. Joseph Tyler Hopperton Cincinnati, Ohio (East Central)
WR Thomas Skokna 5-9 170 Sr. North Central Brad Spencer Hinsdale, Ill. (Central)
WR Albert Rundell 6-1 185 Jr. Bethel (Minn.) Mike McElroy Watertown, Minn. (Mayer)
TE Reed Breckheimer 6-1 250 Sr. Carroll (Wis.) Mike Budziszewski Hilbert, Wis. (Hilbert)
OL Michael Nwosu 6-3 280 Sr. Johns Hopkins Dan Wodicka Perry Hall, Md. (Calvert Hall)
OL Chris Clarke 6-1 300 Sr. Salisbury Sherman Wood Ridgely, Md. (North Caroline)
OL Caleb Bayer 6-3 294 Sr. Trinity (Tex.) Jerheme Urban Grandview, Tex. (Grandview)
OL Dain Walter 6-7 315 Sr. UW-La Crosse Matt Janus New Glarus, Wis. (New Glarus)
OL Giovanni Kennedy 6-1 275 Sr. Mount Union Geoff Dartt Avon, Ohio (St. Edward)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL John Sullivan 6-2 270 Sr. North Central Brad Spencer Lake Villa, Ill. (Lakes)
DL Michael Clark 5-8 280 Sr. Berry Tony Kunczewski McDonough, Ga. (Eagles Landing Christian)
DL Zach Frank 6-3 270 Sr. St. John's (Minn.) Gary Fasching Lino Lakes, Minn. (Centennial)
DL Liam Danitz 6-5 227 Sr. Hope Peter Stuursma West Branch, Mich. (Ogemaw Heights)
LB *Ben Bladel 6-0 225 Sr. Grove City Andrew DiDonato Coraopolis, Pa. (Moon)
LB Daniel Eliasek 5-11 215 Sr. Randolph-Macon Pedro Arruza Midlothian, Va. (Trinity)
LB Keenan Tyler 6-1 222 Sr. Wartburg Chris Winter Decorah, Iowa (Decorah)
DB Devin Williams 6-1 220 Sr. Bethel (Minn.) Mike McElory Fridley, Minn. (Fridley)
DB Ryan Maxwell 5-9 170 Sr. Hendrix Buck Buchanan Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)
DB Ethan Burrows 6-3 210 Jr. Adrian Joe Palka Essexville, Mich. (Garber)
DB Dylan Connors 5-11 195 Sr. Wesleyan Dan DiCenzo West Milford, N.J. (West Milford)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Dominic Bourgeois 5-10 190 Jr. Susquehanna Tom Perkovich Baltimore, Md. (Archbishop Curley)
P Josh Castro 6-3 200 Gr. WPI Chris Robertson Pittsburgh, Pa. (Shady Side Academy)
AP BJ Stewart 5-7 155 Sr. Mary Hardin-Baylor Larry Harmon Shreveport, La. (Woodlawn)
*-2024 AFCA All-American
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team - Second Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Connor Barry 6-1 205 Jr. Christopher Newport Paul Crowley Vienna, Va. (James Madison)
RB Nahjiir Seagraves 5-10 190 Jr. N.C. Wesleyan Jeff Filkovski Southern Pines, N.C. (Pinecrest)
RB Isaiah Simmons 5-9 176 Jr. Brockport Jason Mangone Buffalo, N.Y. (West Seneca West)
WR Robby Ballentine 6-0 200 Sr. DePauw Brett Dietz Crown Point, Ind. (Andrean)
WR Gary Lewis 5-10 195 Sr. Franklin & Marshall Michael Phelan Summit, N.J. (Delbarton School)
WR Tyren Montgomery 6-1 190 Gr. John Carroll Jeff Behrman Woodlands, Tex. (College Park)
TE Clayton Schwalbe 6-3 250 Sr. UW-Oshkosh Peter Jennings Waukesha, Wis. (North)
OL Hayden Philpot 6-0 300 Sr. Hardin-Simmons Jesse Burleson Decatur, Tex. (Decatur)
OL Dave Casas 6-4 285 Sr. Delaware Valley Mike Isgro Manahawkin, N.J. (Southern Regional)
OL Lucas Tappy 6-2 325 Sr. St. Norbert Dan McCarty Iron Mountain, Mich. (Kingsford)
OL Reed Richards 6-5 297 Sr. Berry Tony Kunczewski Powder Springs, Ga. (Mount Paran Christian)
OL Luke Schumacher 6-1 260 Sr. Coe Tyler Staker Waukee, Iowa (Northwest)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Kaleb Brown 6-2 220 Sr. Mount Union Geoff Dartt La Plata, Md. (La Plata)
DL Tyler Sordillo 6-3 265 Jr. Springfield Mike Cerasuolo Hull, Mass. (Hull)
DL Dominick Williams 6-7 232 Sr. East Texas Baptist Calvin Ruzicka Houston, Tex. (Dulles)
DL Peter Johanik 6-1 230 Sr. Wheaton Jesse Scott West Chicago, Ill. (Wheaton Academy)
LB Gage Timm 6-1 219 Sr. UW-River Falls Matt Walker Shawano, Wic. (Shawano)
LB Conner Gurney 6-0 220 Sr. Muskingum Matt Nardo Seminole, Fla. (Senior)
LB Aden Wiser 6-2 240 Sr. Cortland Tom Blumenauer Highland, N.Y. (Highland)
DB *Grant Henderson 5-8 165 Sr. Maryville Ben Fox Miami, Fla. (Christopher Columbus)
DB Brian Wall 6-3 205 So. Hanover Matt Theobald Sellersburg, Ind. (Our Lady of Providence)
DB Dominic Hess 6-1 190 Jr. MIT Brian Bubna Damascus, Md. (Damascus)
DB Gavin Smith 6-0 190 Sr. Central (Iowa) Jeff McMartin Audubon, Iowa (Audubon)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Aidan Ellison 5-11 189 Sr. North Central Brad Spencer Naperville, Ill. (Central)
P Tanner Philpott 6-2 200 So. Simpson Reed Hoskins Waukee, Iowa (Northwest)
AP Joey Gendreau 6-3 230 Sr. St. John's (Minn.) Gary Fasching Shorewood, Minn. (Minnetonka)
*-2024 AFCA All-American
