DII Report: Meet the Harlon Hill Trophy finalists (FREE CONTENT)
I got the inside scoop on the eight 2024 finalists and one thing is for certain: Maybe 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie after all?
The Harlon Hill Trophy finalists were announced on. Dec. 4. The DII Heisman as it has become known, honors the best player in DII football. The field was narrowed down from 43 initial candidates to eight, two from each Super Region. If you are interested in more info on the award, here is an explainer for you.
Sure, I can break down tape and sit here and tell you about these eight finalists’ games and talents… but we did that all season. I wanted to know the real inside scoop: superstitions, Spotify playlists, favorite movies, and more silly stuff. Let’s find out who these fine athletes really are.
Super Region One
Brayden Long, QB, Slippery Rock
Long was also a finalist last year and has had an excellent two-year run for The Rock. He is prepping for his team’s action in the semifinals this week, upsetting No. 1 Kutztown and No. 3 Cal (PA) to reach the DII football final four.
2024 stats: 3,072 passing, 37 rushing, 31 total TDs, 4 INT
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Brayden Long: Different aspects of both Tom Brady and Josh Allen. I try to never get too high or too low during a game and always focus on the next play or the next drive. I also think recognizing the defenses and being able to take what they give you is important. I’m not worried about my numbers. If a defense is taking away the deep ball and we have to run the ball or throw short passes to move the chains, that’s what we’ll do.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
BL: Gunna was my top artist on my Spotify wrapped this year.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
BL: I don’t really have any superstitions when it comes to game days. I believe preparation is the key to success and if I’ve done things the right way to prepare, I feel good on game day. My pregame ritual is keeping to a consistent warmup routine and making some time to show love to my family and friends who are at the game.
WC: Best holiday movie?
BL: Elf or Christmas Vacation.
WC: Best sports movie?
BL: Can’t just pick one so I will say the Creed series.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
BL: My ultimate goal is to go into a career coaching college football. I plan to attend graduate school and begin my coaching career after I finish playing. I am very grateful to the National Football Foundation and Fidelity for honoring me with a postgraduate scholarship as part of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and I hope to use that scholarship while pursuing my master’s degree and my coaching career.
Chavon Wright, RB, Charleston (WV)
Wright was great last year. This year, he had a season of historic proportions, rushing for 2,235 yards and the DII single-season record 38 touchdowns. At just 5-foot-8, he barrels through defenders and looks to keep running right into an opportunity at an NFL camp.
2024 stats: 2,235 rushing, 87 receiving, 39 total TDs
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Chavon Wright: I model my game behind guys like LaDainian Tomlinson with the ability to do everything on the field, Le'Veon Bell with his change of pace style, and Adrian Peterson’s mentality. Barry Sanders is my favorite football player ever.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
CW: Rod Wave is my most listened to artist.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
CW: I’m very superstitious. I post a picture of Chrisean Rock with a song in the background with a countdown of the opponent. A little RnB, so I don't lock into the game so early, and then NBA YoungBoy right before I head out.
WC: Best holiday movie?
CW: I don't think you can go wrong with Friday After Next or Home Alone.
WC: Best sports movie?
CW: Like Mike with Bow Wow and Morris Chestnut.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
CW: After DII football I want to have an opportunity to play at the next level, just a chance to show the entire world that small school guys can ball, too. Outside of football, I want to be able to lean back on my degrees and hopefully live a comfortable life.
Super Region Two
Jada Byers, RB, Virginia Union
Simply put, Byers will end his DII career as one of the best running backs to ever do it at this level. He cracked 2,000 yards rushing this season — his second career season of over 1,900 yards rushing — and scored double-digit touchdowns for the fourth year in a row. He is the active leader in rushing yards and total yards across all divisions of college football, and trails Chavon Wright by one touchdown for the leader in that as well.
2024 stats: 2,056 rushing, 154 receiving, 27 rushing TDs
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Jada Byers: I model my game after Barry Sanders, CMC [Christian McCaffery], and Deebo Samuel.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
JB: Meek Mill.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
JB: I call both of my kids and listen to gospel music.
WC: Best holiday movie?
JB: Either Home Alone or Polar Express.
WC: Best sports movie?
JB: The Express, When the Game Stands Tall, Remember the Titans, and Safety.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
JB: I want to graduate and have a chance in the NFL and continue to be a better father.
Sammy Edwards, QB, Valdosta State
Edwards is another two-time finalist on the list, finishing third last season. Last year, he came out of nowhere to post a monster season, topping 4,000 yards passing and 34 touchdowns, and this year was more of the same. You may look at the stats and see they were “down",” but don’t be fooled: The Blazers didn’t need him to throw the ball 30 times a game to win. Edwards is as good as ever.
2024 stats: 2,929 passing, 197 rushing, 32 total TD, 2 INT
Edwards is preparing for the DII football semifinals and asked not to participate. I can’t really argue with that. However, he did send some video, so enjoy.
Super Region Three
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ferris State
What a surprise: A quarterback that excels in Tony Annese’s system. He played a little bit last year, but this year, he burst out as a dual-threat quarterback that was the perfect fit for the Bulldogs — who are once again in the semifinals.
2024 stats: 2,551 passing, 817 rushing, 42 total TD, 7 turnovers (5 INT, 2 fumbles)
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Trinidad Chambliss: Patrick Mahomes, because he wins and makes his team around him better.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
TC: Drake
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
TC: I only listen to gospel music on gameday, no rap or anything else. It calms me down.
WC: Best holiday movie?
TC: The Grinch.
WC: Best sports movie?
TC: Friday Night Lights.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
TC: Pro Days when it is all done. I want to try to play at the next level and see how far it goes.
Zach Zebrowski, QB, Central Missouri
Zebrowski, the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, has had a two-year run that looks like video-game numbers. He’s thrown for 9,881 yards and 101 touchdowns over the last two years and added 10 rushing touchdowns this season. He has been simply remarkable and brought the Mules to the tournament last year and a Heritage Bowl appearance this year.
2024 stats: 4,724 passing, 599 rush, 50 total TDs, 12 INT
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Zach Zebrowski: A few quarterbacks that I try to model my game after are Aaron Rodgers and Baker Mayfield. I say Aaron Rodgers because of how accurate he is and how he is always in control of the game and knows what the defense is trying to do to stop them. I would say Baker Mayfield because of the toughness/swag that he plays with where his teammates know that he is going to put his body on the line no matter what needs to be done to get a win.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
ZZ: The person who is at the top of my most listened to is Gunna.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
ZZ: I don't really have any superstitions that I do on game day. I'll always go out and throw on the field with my wide receiver Hogan Wasson before warmups and get back into the locker room before the game and listen to some music. I stay pretty loose in the locker room before games.
WC: Best holiday movie?
ZZ: Home Alone would have to be my answer for best holiday movie.
WC: Best sports movie?
ZZ: My favorite sports movie is Moneyball.
WC: What would repeating as Harlon Hill Trophy winner mean to you?
ZZ: Repeating as the Harlon Hill winner would mean a lot to me. Last year was a crazy year and one that no one expected but doing it this year with all the expectations would be even more satisfying than winning it last year. Being able to come into this season with the Harlon Hill being my main personal goal and getting it done would make all the work that I have put in since last season feel worth it.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
ZZ: The next step for me in my life is getting right into NFL Draft prep to give myself the best chance to play professional football that I can. I want to keep playing football as long as I can. After my football career ends, whenever that will be, I want to be a college football coach.
Super Region Four
Braeden Fuller, QB, Angelo State
The junior quarterback erupted onto the DII football scene in 2024 as one of the true dual-threat quarterbacks the division had to offer. After playing sparingly in 2023, he became the full-time starter this year and led the Rams back to the tournament after a one-year hiatus.
2024 stats: 2,318 passing, 678 rushing, 29 total TD, 2 INT
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Braeden Fuller: I would say I model my game along the lines of someone like Josh Allen. He is someone who has to be planned for in every aspect of the game — he is an improviser and a true dual threat of a quarterback. I think this is a perfect person to look at because he’s so versatile and I feel like I’m the same type of player. Being able to stay in the pocket and deliver a strike, extending a play with my feet, or taking a designed QB run to the end zone is all in my wheelhouse.
WC: Who is your Spotify most listened to?
BF: My most listened to artist is hard to say because I bounce around genres every day, but a song I listened to every gamely was Creep by Radiohead.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
BF: Like I said above, listen to Creep and it would get me in the zone. I never did anything out of the ordinary I would consider superstitious; I would just make sure I was focused and ready to play.
WC: Best holiday movie?
BF: The best holiday movie is Die Hard!
WC: Best sports movie?
BF: The best sports movie is Remember the Titans.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
BF: I would like to play football until the wheels fall off. So, after DII ball, I hope to make it to the NFL, if not another pro league would be awesome as well. When I am done playing football I still want to be around the game, I want to become a quarterback coach/trainer. The influence I have gotten from my own trainer, Yale Vannoy, is truly something special. He has inspired me to want to get into that field and I hope I can do half the job he does one day.
Reggie Retzlaff, WR, CSU Pueblo
Retzlaff finished fourth in DII football in receiving yards this season and played a pivotal role in the ThunderWolves capturing the No. 1 seed in Super Region Four. He has always been a touchdown threat and scored 12 touchdowns for the second year in a row.
2024 stats: 1,228 receiving, 12 TD
Wayne Cavadi: Who is someone you model your game after and why?
Reggie Retzlaff: I wouldn’t say that there is one person that I model my game after. Being a big receiver, I have had greats in the NFL that I can take bits and pieces from. I’d say the guys who I try to steal the most from are Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Edelman, and Julio Jones. I strove to have the level of consistency that Fitzgerald had throughout his career and his ball skills are some of the best that we have ever seen. Julio Jones is a freak of nature and just his god-given abilities set him apart, but he always did whatever it took for his team to win. And finally, I admire Julian Edelman because of his mindset and grit — along with the fact that we are both Jewish receivers.
WC: Who is you Spotify most listened to?
RR: This year I believe it was Zach Bryan, closely followed by Treaty Oak Revival.
WC: What is your pregame ritual? Any superstitions?
RR: I chuckled a little bit when I saw this question because I don’t really have any superstitions except for one unique one. Before each college football game that I have played, there is one thing that I do almost subconsciously. I’ll be sitting in my locker and out of nowhere I start to yawn. It had thrown many teammates for a loop, but I see it as a sign that I am calm and relaxed which is how I want to be while playing football.
WC: Best holiday movie?
RR: I’m a huge comedy movie fan therefore my instinct is to go with a movie like Daddy’s Home, but I also grew up watching the Die Hard movies. I’d have to pick both.
WC: Best sports movie?
RR: So, there are the greats like Remember the Titans, The Sandlot, Coach Carter, or Hoosiers. But the movie that I love each time that I see is probably Miracle. It is one of the movies that makes me cry every time that I watch it.
WC: What’s next for you after DII football?
RR: After I’m done with college ball I want to try and continue to play the game I’ve been around since I was born. So, I’ll give the NFL a shot and see where the game takes me from there.