AUSTIN, TX – College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced its 2025 Academic All-America® teams in football, and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) was represented by five student-athletes across the first and second teams. Headlining the league was DePauw senior Robby Ballentine (Crown Point, IN/Andrean), who was named CSC Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year and earned first-team honors. Denison junior Grayson Kerscher (Naples, FL/Community School of Napes), John Carroll graduate student Nick Semptimphelter (Franklin, TN/Battle Ground Academy) and senior Grant Myers (Youngstown, OH/Howland), and Wittenberg senior Luke Jackson (DeGraff, OH/Indian Lake) were all selected to the second team.
 
Ballentine, a biochemistry major with a 3.92 GPA, collects his second-consecutive First Team Academic All-America® honor after leading the Tigers offense with program single-season records of 92 receptions and 1,314 receiving yards while adding 16 touchdown catches. The DePauw wide receiver also earned 2025 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year recognition and finished his career with NCAC records of 253 receptions for 3,783 yards and a school and NCAC record 54 touchdown receptions. This season, he was named a First Team Associated Press (AP) All-American, earned Second Team honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com, was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy®, and a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy.
 
Kerscher, a financial economics major with a 3.62 GPA, earned second-team honors after starting all 10 games for Denison. The junior wide receiver produced 78 catches for 1,239 yards, both second in program history, while scoring 12 touchdowns, the third most in Denison history. Kerscher highlighted his season against nationally-ranked DePauw with the longest reception in Denison history at 99 yards and a career-high 197 receiving yards, which ranks fifth on the program’s single-game list. He became the third Big Red player to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season, finished second nationally in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (123.9), and earned First Team All-NCAC and Third Team D3football.com All-Region honors.
 
Semptimphelter, a business administration graduate student with a 3.56 undergraduate GPA and a 3.88 graduate GPA, earned second-team accolades after authoring one of the most efficient seasons in NCAA history. The John Carroll quarterback completed 77.9 percent of his passes for 3,623 yards with 36 touchdowns and four interceptions, helping guide the Blue Streaks to a national semifinal appearance. Semptimphelter set a new John Carroll single-season record for passing yards and finished his career fourth in program history in passing touchdowns (74) and fifth in passing yards (6,535), while also becoming the program’s career leader in completion percentage. His season also included First Team All-NCAC recognition, D3football.com Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year honors, and Gagliardi Trophy and NFF Campbell Trophy® semifinalist nods.
 
Anchoring the John Carroll offensive line at left tackle, Myers earned a second-team selection as a marketing major with a 3.82 GPA. The senior helped guide a young offensive line and played a critical role in protecting Semptimphelter and fueling one of Division III’s most efficient offenses, highlighted by JCU’s 77.2 percent team completion percentage. A First Team All-NCAC and D3football.com All-Region selection, Myers’ leadership remained evident even after his season was cut short by an injury in the playoffs.
 
After leading the NCAC in tackles, Jackson picked up second-team honors with 109 total tackles in 10 games. The Wittenberg senior defensive back, who is a sport management major with a 3.88 cumulative GPA, posted 49 solo tackles and 60 assisted stops to average 10.9 tackles per game and led the league in total, solo, and assisted tackles per game to earn first-team All-NCAC recognition. Jackson became Wittenberg football’s first Academic All-America® honoree since 2018 and the 54th Tiger to earn the distinction since the award’s inception in 1952.
 
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-America® award, student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, be a key contributor to their team, and have been selected as a CSC Academic All-District honoree.