A day after being named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year, Valparaiso University football redshirt senior punter Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) was tabbed to the All-Pioneer Football League First Team on Tuesday, leading 10 Beacons who received recognition.
 
Four members of the program including three defensive linemen garnered All-PFL Second Team nods – redshirt senior running back Michael Mansaray (Columbus, Ohio / Westerville South [South Dakota]), junior defensive lineman Onye Nwosisi (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cardinal Ridge [Muskingum]), redshirt senior defensive lineman Sam Hafner (Green Bay, Wis. / De Pere) and redshirt junior defensive lineman Kevin Spelman (New Lenox, Ill. / Providence Catholic).
 
Five others obtained All-PFL Honorable Mention – redshirt junior linebacker Jake Birmingham (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest), senior linebacker Jimmy Pouba (Chicago, Ill. / Lyons [College of Sequoias]), redshirt senior offensive lineman Tyler Eberhart (Barberton, Ohio / Barberton), redshirt junior kicker Ryan Hawk (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) and redshirt junior running back Ryan Mann (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Vernon Hills [Northern Illinois]).
 
This marks the fifth consecutive year that Valpo boasted an All-PFL First or Second Team punter. 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. Elon's Jeff Yurk averaged 47.9 yards per punt on 60 attempts, while The Citadel's James Platte averaged 47.3 yards per punt on 44 attempts. Johnson was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week four times this year – Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 24.
 
Mansaray 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. Mansary had a season-best 135 rushing yards on Oct. 26 at Marist, narrowly ahead of his 132 on Sept. 21 vs. Roosevelt.
 
Valpo accounted for three of the eight All-PFL First and Second Team defensive linemen in the 11-team league.  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, 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.
 
Nwosisi 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.
 
Birmingham 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.
 
Pouba was fourth on the team with 51 tackles including 19 solos and two tackles for loss. He recorded a team-high seven pass breakups. The team captain boasted a season-best 10 tackles on Oct. 26 at Marist. Eberhart, named the 2023-24 Leadership Playbook Collegiate Male Student-Athlete of the Year, started all 11 games this season on Valpo's offensive line. Mann, who earned All-PFL Honorable Mention for the second straight year and was also an Academic All-PFL Second Team performer last season, had 203 rushing yards on 65 attempts, averaging 20.3 yards per game with one touchdown.
 
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.
 
Honors will continue to roll out on Wednesday as Academic All-PFL teams will be released.
 
2024 All-Pioneer Football League First Team
Pos. Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
OFFENSE
WR Ja'seem Reed (U) San Diego
WR Dominic Kibby Presbyterian
WR Chase Colin St. Thomas
QB Luke Bailey Drake
RB Hope Adebayo (U) St. Thomas
RB Mari Adams Davidson
FB Mason Sheron Davidson
AP Nick Howard Butler
TE Worth Warner Presbyterian
OL Adam Dolan Butler
OL Alec Rasmussen St. Thomas
OL Bennet Krebs Drake
OL Malik McDaniel Davidson
OL Dominic Perricone Marist
DEFENSE
DL Finn Claypool (U) Drake
DL Julian Rawlins Davidson
DL Jack Burch Butler
DL Carter Szydlowski Presbyterian
LB Gideon Lampron Dayton
LB Sebastian Adamski Drake
LB Iovino Giovanni San Diego
LB Alex Herriott Presbyterian
DB Eric Haney San Diego
DB Matthew McClelland Morehead State
DB Nick Bafia Butler
DB Caleb Francis Presbyterian
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Shane Dunning Drake
P Sam Johnson Valparaiso
RS Zach Switzer Presbyterian
LS Brett Welsing Drake
 
Symbols in parentheses: (U) indicates a player was a unanimous First Team All-PFL selection; (2x) is a non-consecutive two-
time First-Team All-PFL honoree; (1) was a First Team All-PFL selection in 2023; (2) was a Second Team All-PFL selection in
 
2023; (H) was an Honorable Mention All-PFL selection in 2023.
 
2024 All-Pioneer Football League Second Team
Pos. Player School Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
OFFENSE
WR Dalton Bailey Stetson
WR Cincere Gill Presbyterian
WR Ryan Upp Morehead State
QB Grant Sergent San Diego
RB Mike Mansaray Valparaiso
RB Mason Hackett Dayton
FB Patrick Wagner St. Thomas
AP Gavin Lochow Dayton
TE Jackson Conners-McCarthy Marist
OL Ross Palmer Drake
OL Dylan DeMaison Dayton
OL Hayden Olmstead Butler
OL Evans Bowling San Diego
OL Kyler Herring Davidson
DEFENSE
DL Onye Nwosisi Valparaiso
DL Malachi Cooper San Diego
DL Sam Hafner Valparaiso
DL Kevin Spelman Valparaiso
LB Sean Allison Drake
LB Adam Sturtz Butler
LB Luke Herzog St. Thomas
LB Jeremiah Jackson Butler
DB Ca'ron Coleman Dayton
DB TJ Magee Davidson
DB Tyler Radocha Drake
DB Ruben Lopez San Diego
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Aidan Lehman San Diego
P Shane Dunning Drake
RS Paul Kelly Dayton
RS Chase Colin St. Thomas
RS Tristan Shannon Marist
LS Wesley Choate Stetson
Notes: Three return specialists on Second Team All-PFL due to ties in voting.
 
2024 All-Pioneer Football League Honorable Mention
BUTLER: Devaon Holman (DB); Danny Orgler (DL); D'Marco Cross (DL); Justin Anagonye (DL); Joey Suchy (FB); Jason Hicks (LS);
Nicholas Schwitzgebel (OL); Owen Keane (OL); Luke Wooten (WR); Ethan Loss (WR); Trevon Brown (WR); Joey Audia (RS).
DAVIDSON: Darryn Kindles (DL); Dixon Hudson (DL); John Tessmann (LB); Brody Reina (WR); Andrew Frazier (APB).
DAYTON: Jeremy Jonozzo (DB); Cam Cope (DB); Aiden McKinley (LB); Ryan Iiams (OL); Conor Clyde (OL); Logan Forcum (P).
DRAKE: Caleb Bowling (DB); Holden Hughes (DB); Nolan Korzeniowski (DL); Jacob Auen (DL); Stewart Eli (FB); Isaac House (OL);
Davion Cherwin (RB); Parker Olthoff (TE); Mitchell January (WR); Trey Radocha (WR); Hughes Taj (APB).
MARIST: Nate Robinson Jr. (DB); Austin Trimble (DB); Gannon McCorkle (DL); Miles Kauderer (DL); James Kratochvil (LB); Sonny
Mannino (APB).
MOREHEAD STATE: Jihad McCall (DB); Drew Nyangweso (DB); Sweeney Richard (DB); Luke Bauer (DL); Noah Benza (DL); Kylyn
Macklin (DL); Dillon Schobourgh (LB); Branden Stearman (LB); Jackson Benjamin (LB); Brady McKnight (LS); Spears Jaxsen (OL);
Xavier Orta (OL); Kip Warren (P); Carter Cravens (QB); James Louis (RB); Ryan Upp (WR); Nate Garnett Jr. (WR).
PRESBYTERIAN: Bradley Russ-Martin (DB); Brooks Russ-Martin (DB); Robert Porter (DL); Malek Horlback (LB); JT Hill (OL); Patch
Bennett (OL); Dru McClough (OL); Noah Peterson (OL); Collin Hurst (QB); Quante Jennings (RB); Cincere Gill (WR); Zach Switzer
(APB).
SAN DIEGO: Nick Murray (DB); Joshua Hong (DB); Jae'Von Reels (DL); Chase Lyons (LB); Jagger Pagano (LB); Maicah Talavou
(OL); Oliver Bari (OL); Aydan Corrales (P); Logan Gingg (RB); Peyton Smith (TE); Eric Haney (RS).
ST. THOMAS: Den Juette (DB); Grif Wurtz (DB); Ryan Calcagno (DB); C.J. Warren (DL); Noah Friedt (DL); Ryan Sever (LB);
Langston Robinson (OL); Jason Laliberte (OL); Shea Albrecht (OL); James Morrison (OL); Matthew Rink (TE); Colin Chase (WR).
STETSON: Lumpy DeWeese (DB); Julian Sampson (DB); Gavin Peacock (DL); Kyle Elphick (LB); Shug Bentley (LB); Vincent Chen
(OL); Charles Thorpe III (OL); Dawson Harrington (OL); Daniel Holbrook (PK); Bo Gaines (P); Brady Meitz (QB); Trey Clark (RB);
Dalton Bailey (WR); Fabian Baez (WR); Ronnel Johnson (WR).
VALPARAISO: Jake Birmingham (LB); Jimmy Pouba (LB); Tyler Eberhart (OL); Ryan Hawk (PK); Ryan Mann (APB).