North Central QB Lehnen trying to out-win competition for Division III’s highest honor
In addition to preparing for this week's playoff game, North Central quarterback Luke Lehnen spent a couple days in Las Vegas, rubbing elbows with football legends.
He was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, an all-levels award that's meant to honor the best combination of football and academic achievement. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was the winner, and Lehnen enjoyed the consolation prize of getting to swap stories with one of the best players at his position.
“Jalen Milroe was cool to talk to,” Lehnen said. “I thought for sure when I first went up to him and asked for a picture that he would maybe try to big-time me a little bit. We talked for a good five or 10 minutes, so I thought that was pretty cool.”
The banquet sponsored by the National Football Foundation also included College Football Hall of Fame inductees. This year's class included Larry Fitzgerald, former Bears Dan Hampton and Julius Peppers, along with many others.
South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski from Neuqua Valley High School was also a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, but Lehnen said he wasn't able to attend the ceremony.
“Everywhere you turned or walked, there was a new legend there,” Lehnen said. “I saw Larry Fitzgerald, Julius Peppers, Danny Woodhead, Alex Smith, Andrew Luck. It was a really crazy experience to see all those guys.
“I also got to talk to Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser (another Campbell finalist) a lot, because we sat next to each other at dinner. Just kind of getting to pick his brain and see how the D1 guys live and what it's like for them.”
Speaking of awards, one of the major storylines to this season was whether Lehnen could win the Gagliardi Trophy, sort of the Division III Heisman, for a second time. Only one player, Mount Union's Kevin Burke, has won the award twice, in 2013-14.
Lehnen has put together another strong season, with 3,434 combined yards passing and rushing, but there's solid competition. The AFCA released its Division III All-America team on Dec. 3, and Lehnen didn't even make the list. The first-team quarterback was SUNY-Cortland's Zac Boyes, while Aaron Syverson from St. John's (Minnesota) was the second-team selection.
But here's the thing about the Gagliardi Trophy. While Heisman votes are based on regular season only, with the winner being named this weekend, competition for the Gagliardi remains open. The list of finalists will be released next Thursday, then final votes by a national panel will be made after that, with the winner announced before the Jan. 5 title game.
Cortland and St. John's both lost last weekend, so their seasons are over. North Central is still alive and will host Springfield (Massachusetts) in a quarterfinal playoff game at noon Saturday in Naperville. Springfield has the second-leading rusher in Division III, Arsen Shtefan.
“The main focus is winning games, but I do pay attention to guys who are up for it a little bit,” Lehnen said. “Aaron Syverson has been having a phenomenal year. There's definitely some good competition for the trophy this year.
“It's just been a while since somebody's won it twice. If I was able to, that would be a pretty cool thing to do.”
Lehnen dreamed of playing for an FBS school when he was at Chatham Glenwood High School outside of Springfield. But he played three sports all through high school, didn't attend many football camps, and the opportunities weren't there.
He decided if Division III was the option, then why not play for the best? So he reached out to North Central, which won its first NCAA championship in 2019 while Lehnen was a senior in high school.
“He just totally dominated on film (in high school),” North Central head coach Brad Spencer said. “He had games where nobody touched him. That's no joke, because he was so much faster than everybody.”
Lehnen couldn't have done things much better for the Cardinals. He's started every game for four years, posted a 54-2 record, won a national championship in 2022, and needs two more victories to reach his fourth straight Division III title game.
The North Central offense is tough to stop, because Lehnen is an accomplished passer who can make throws on the move and is a breakaway threat as a runner, thanks to his speed. He's also pitched for the baseball team at North Central.
“It's been a surreal experience,” he said. “I've gotten to play the max amount of games every season, so I'm really getting my money's worth coming to school here, and getting to play a bunch of games with all my friends. I love the culture and the community we have at North Central.”
Four years of taking it to the max describes Lehnen's career very well. Maybe award voters will notice.