2021 D3football.com All-America Team | 2021 Associated Press All-America Team
Eight Centennial Conference football players have been named to the 2021 D3football.com All-America team while two secured spots on the Associated Press (AP) All-America squad. Johns Hopkins' Luke Schuermann and JR Woods received accolades from both organizations, while JHU's Macauley Kilbane, Susquehanna's Michael Lefever, and Muhlenberg's Michael Feaster, Michael Hnatkowsky, Spencer Kirin and James McGettigan were selected to the D3football.com squad.
The AP selected a first and second team, while D3football.com named first, second, third and fourth teams; D3football.com has alternated its final team between honorable mention and fourth team since 2012.
Schuermann, the 2021 CC Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, led the way as a first-team pick on both the D3football.com and AP teams. Woods was a first team honoree on the AP squad and second team by D3football.com. Feaster joined Woods on the D3football.com second team. Third team picks included Hnatkowsky, Kirin, McGettigan, and Lefever, while Kilbane secured fourth team honors.
Schuermann's two All-America selections add to what may be the most impressive single-season list of honors ever assembled by a Johns Hopkins football player and certainly the most impressive by a sophomore. Previously named the Centennial Conference and D3football.com Region 2 Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Schuermann counted 20.5 tackles for losses and 11.0 sacks among his 46 tackles in 11 games played. His 11 sacks are tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history, while his 20.5 TFLs rank third. His four forced fumbles also paced the team and were tied for the second-highest total in the nation.
In his first season playing at Johns Hopkins, Woods quickly established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation. Woods, who transferred to Hopkins prior to the 2020 fall semester and what eventually became a cancelled season due to the COVID pandemic, adds his two All-America nods to previous First Team All-Centennial Conference and D3football.com All-Region 2 selections; like Schuermann, he also was a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American this season. Woods was the anchor of an offensive line that paved the way for a unit that averaged a school-record 46.5 points per game. JHU also averaged a program-best 346.8 yards per game passing and its 488.5 yards per game of total offense rank seventh in school history.
Kilbane closes out his career with the first All-America selection of his career. Also a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Kilbane added his third First Team All-Centennial Conference selection in 2021 and landed a spot on D3football.com's First Team All-Region 2 Team as well. He posted 53 tackles, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries this season and finished his career with 195 tackles, 23 pass breakups and nine interceptions.
Feaster became the first receiver in Centennial history to reach triple digits in receptions in a season, hauling in 104 passes for 1241 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is one of only six receivers in all four NCAA divisions with at least 100 catches, and he ended the season in the top 10 in Division III in both receptions per game (sixth) and receiving yards (eighth). Feaster had three games with double digits in receptions and six 100-yard games, catching at least one touchdown pass in eight of 13 games.
Kirin was one of the top players on a Mule unit that ranked 14th in Division III in scoring defense, allowing only 12.9 points per game. He led the Mules with 97 tackles (65 solo) and filled up the stat sheet with two sacks, three pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also blocked four kicks, including two punts that were returned for touchdowns.
McGettigan was honored as a special teams player for his accuracy and reliability as a long snapper. Muhlenberg did not have a bad snap on a punt or a placement kick all season. McGettigan's ability to get up the field after snapping on punts contributed to the Mules not allowing a punt to be returned for positive yardage during the regular season. He also emerged as a top defensive player, recording six sacks (third on the team).
Hnatkowsky picked up his second All-America nod after previously making the American Football Coaches Association second team. The CC offensive player of the year and D3football.com Region 2 offensive player of the year set school records for passing yards (3876) and passing touchdowns (47) in a season, ranking in the top three in Division III in both categories. He completed 68.9 percent of his passes and threw only 11 interceptions in 460 attempts, with no picks in 133 attempts in three postseason games. Hnatkowsky's 144 career touchdowns rank fifth in Division III history.
Lefever becomes Susquehanna's first-ever D3football.com All-American tight end, along with earning the fourth-ever offensive player honor by an SU player.
Lefever is the first Susquehanna offensive player named to the D3football.com All-American list since Dave Paveletz earned Honorable Mention at running back back in 2009. The senior tight end finished the season as one of the main receiving threats for the River Hawks and earned All-Centennial Conference and All-Region 2 First Team honors. Lefever completed the season with 35 catches for 525 yards (2nd on Team and 13th in Centennial) and six touchdowns (Tied 2nd on Team and Tied 8th in Centennial). His best receiving game on the season was against Gettysburg on October 15, where he caught two passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.