UCM Mules QB wins Division II football’s equivalent of the prestigious Heisman Trophy

Kansas City Star
·2 min read

As if UCM Mules fans needed any such reminder, the top player in NCAA Division II football resides in Warrensburg, Missouri.

The Great American Conference and Little Rock Touchdown Club on Friday revealed Central Missouri quarterback Zach Zebrowski as the winner of the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy — Division II’s equivalent of the prestigious Heisman Trophy.

Zebrowski, a redshirt junior from Woodbury, Minnesota, enjoyed a record-breaking season for the 11-2 Mules.

He led Division II in total offense (437.7 yards per game), passing yards (5,157), passing touchdowns (61), points responsible for (380), points responsible for per game (29.2) and passing yards per game (396.7).

Along the way, he set new Division II records for passing touchdowns (61), total offensive yards (5,690), points responsible for (380) and TDs responsible for (63 — 61 passing, two rushing).

Zebrowski is the first Division II quarterback — and just the sixth in all of college football — to throw for at least 60 touchdowns in a season. And getting there was half the fun for Mules fans.

Against then-No. 23-ranked Emporia State on Oct. 21, Zebrowski established new UCM and MIAA records for passing TDs (eighth), passing yards (615 yards) and total offense (673 yards) as the Mules won by a basketball score: 77-27.

It’s the second time in program history that a UCM player has won the Harlon Hill award. Former UCM All-American quarterback Eric Czerniewski was the winner in 2010.

Among his other accolades, Zebrowski also earned the 2023 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year and D2CCA Super Region III Offensive Player of the Year awards. He earned first-team All-MIAA, D2CCA Super Region III and D2CCA All-American honors.

UCM Mules quarterback Zach Zebrowski is the 2023 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy, an award given annually to the top player in all of NCAA Division II football.
UCM Mules quarterback Zach Zebrowski is the 2023 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy, an award given annually to the top player in all of NCAA Division II football.

Sports information directors from 161 Division II football-playing institutions nominate and then vote on Harlon Hill candidates. There were 38 initially; the top two from each of the four NCAA regions advanced to the national ballot, and voting concluded Monday.

Zebrowski will be presented the Harlon Hill Trophy at the Little Rock Touchdown Club Awards Banquet on Jan. 12 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The award is named in honor of Hill, a former North Alabama standout (1950-53) who later starred for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.