Collegeville, MN – Football's
Eddie Williams was named as one of 15 semifinalists for The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, Presented by Stearns Bank, as announced by The J-Club at Saint John's University on Friday afternoon.
A native of Eastpointe, MI, Williams capped a legendary Alma career in the No.23/25 Scots playoff appearance at No. 10/13 UW-Platteville. The senior was named MIAA Offensive MVP, appearing on the All-MIAA first team, his third All-MIAA selection.
Williams finished his Alma career with 3,967 rushing yards, 44 rushing touchdowns, and 326 points scored, all program career records. He the first Scot in program history to go over 3,000 rushing yards, and the first to go over 300 points. Eddie wrapped his career with a historically dominant senior season in 2025. He rushed for a single-season record 1,485 yards along with 21 touchdowns, including a 210 yard performance against nationally ranked Adrian to help Alma clinch their third outright MIAA title in four seasons.
Off the field, Williams was driven to give back to the sport that has given so much to him. In the last year, he served as a coach at a camp hosted by Spark Coaching in Ontario, Canada. Returning to the U.S., he hosted his own camp in Michigan in partnership with KP Elite. Working in collaboration with the Michigan Urban Youth Alliance, Williams also assisted with the running of flag football tournaments throughout the month of May with the Cornerstone school system.
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.
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 with Division III backgrounds. A fan vote, which runs until Dec. 15, will be live soon on D3football.com. No J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.
The Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be announced during a live show at 4 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 19, on D3football.com.
Vote Online (until Dec. 15)
2025 Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalists
Eddie Williams | RB | Sr. | Alma
Robby Ballentine | WR | Sr. | DePauw
Connor Barry | QB | Jr. | Christopher Newport
Kaleb Blaha | QB | Sr. | Wisconsin-River Falls
Kyle Brown | QB | Sr. | Hardin-Simmons
Jack Curtis | QB | Sr. | Carleton
Josh Ehrlich | QB | Sr. | Susquehanna
Mark Forcucci | QB | Sr. | Wheaton (Ill.)
Bay Harvey | QB | Gr. | Johns Hopkins
Gary Lewis | WR | Sr. | Franklin and Marshall
Diamontie "Montie" Quinn | RB | Sr. | Curry
Albert Rundell | WR | Jr. | Bethel
Nick Semptimphelter | QB | Gr. | John Carroll
Thomas Skokna | WR | Sr. | North Central
Tyler Szalkowski | QB | Sr. | Utica
