Valparaiso University football redshirt senior Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) added to his long list of honors on Thursday as he was named the Phil Steele Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year, in addition to joining junior defensive lineman Onye Nwosisi (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cardinal Ridge [Muskingum]) as two Valpo players on the Phil Steele All-PFL First Team.
 
Eight other Beacons received recognition from the publication, including redshirt senior defensive lineman Sam Hafner (Green Bay, Wis. / De Pere) and redshirt junior defensive lineman Kevin Spelman (New Lenox, Ill. / Providence Catholic) on the Second Team.
 
Redshirt senior running back Michael Mansaray (Columbus, Ohio / Westerville South [South Dakota]), redshirt junior kicker Ryan Hawk (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) and junior kicker returner Jeffery Vercher (Nashville, Tenn. / Franklin Road Academy) were named to the Third Team, while redshirt junior linebacker Jake Birmingham (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest) and senior punter returner Colin Graves (Seattle, Wash. / Bishop Blanchet) earned Fourth Team status.
 
Johnson finished with a season punting average of 47.13, shattering the previous program and PFL record of 43.68 that had stood for 14 years since it was established by Greg Wood in 2010. Johnson had 24 punts of 50 yards or more and pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 19 occasions. He ranked third nationally in FCS in punting average and second among those with at least 50 attempts. This marked the latest on a list of postseason honors for Johnson, who was tabbed the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year, a member of the All-PFL First Team, an FCS National Punter of the Year Semifinalist and a Stats Perform FCS Second Team All-American.
 
Nwosisi, named to the league's All-PFL Second Team, finished the season as one of 22 FCS players nationally with multiple blocked kicks, turning away field-goal tries on Oct. 5 vs. Drake and Nov. 9 vs. Butler. He had 39 tackles including 19 solos, 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks this season while also hurrying the quarterback nine times and recovering a fumble despite missing two games due to injury. His season-high eight tackles came on Sept. 14 vs. Indiana Wesleyan.
 
Also a member of the league's All-PFL Second Team and Academic All-PFL First Team, Hafner finished the season with 52 tackles including 21 solos and a team-high six tackles for loss. He notched 1.5 sacks and hurried the quarterback on three occasions. The team captain added to his long list of honors that also includes 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee, 2024 Campbell Trophy Semifinalist, 2023 All-PFL First Team, 2023 Academic All-PFL First Team, 2023 Phil Steele All-PFL First Team, 2023 Team Defensive Player of the Year, 2023 CSC Academic All-District, 2022 Academic All-PFL First Team, 2022 All-PFL Second Team, 2022 CSC Academic All-District and 2022 Phil Steele All-PFL Third Team. This marked his third straight season earning first or second team all-conference accolades. Hafner had a season-high eight tackles on Nov. 9 vs. Butler and matched that total the following week at Dayton. He recorded seven tackles or more in each of the final three games of the season.
 
Spelman's four sacks led the team while he totaled six tackles for loss, 33 tackles (13 solos), six QB hurries and a fumble recovery. He earned All-PFL Honorable Mention at long snapper last season after garnering All-PFL Honorable Mention at both defensive line and long snapper in 2022, when he was a Phil Steele All-PFL Third Team honoree and a member of the Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award Watch List. His season-high eight tackles came on Oct. 26 at Marist. He was also named to the league's All-PFL Second Team this year.
 
Mansaray, also named to the league's All-PFL Second Team, ranked seventh in the PFL with 58.36 rushing yards per game. His 4.52 yards per rush ranked sixth in the league, while his nine rushing touchdowns were tied for fourth and his 642 total rushing yards ranked seventh. He was one rushing score away from becoming just the eighth player in program history with double-figure rushing touchdowns in a single season. Mansaray had a season-best 135 rushing yards on Oct. 26 at Marist, narrowly ahead of his 132 on Sept. 21 vs. Roosevelt.
 
Birmingham, who was named All-PFL Honorable Mention, totaled 82 tackles (36 solos) in just nine games to lead the team by a wide margin despite being sidelined for two contests. He also recovered a fumble, forced a fumble, had two sacks and notched four tackles for loss. He ranked fourth in the PFL at 9.11 tackles per game, had seven or more in each of his final eight games and posted double-figure tackle totals in four of his final five and each of his last three including a career-high 15 on Nov. 16 at Dayton.
 
An All-PFL Honorable Mention choice, Hawk went 11-of-15 on field-goal tries with two makes from 50+ yards including a long of 51. He booted 21 of his 38 kickoffs for touchbacks while finishing tied for fifth in program history for made field goals in a single season with 11 and going 16-for-16 on PATs.
 
Graves returned 13 punts for 117 yards, averaging 9.0 yards per return with a long of 23. Vercher returned 17 kickoffs for 432 yards, averaging 25.41 yards per return with a long of 47.