ALL-AMERICAN: LHU’s Collier named 2023 First Team AFCA DII All-America
WACO, TX – Lock Haven standout running back Chris Collier (Elmhurst, N.Y./Lawrence) continues to rack up postseason honors and can now add All-American to the list after being named to the 2023 First Team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II All-America First Team Offense.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-PSAC East selection and Second Team D2CCA All-Region honoree, Collier, was named First Team AFCA All-American as one of two running backs.
Collier is the second player in school history to earn a spot on the AFCA All-America Team and if the first ever First Team member. Standout Bald Eagle tight end Jalen Jackson was named to the Second Team in 2019.
Collier, who led the PSAC is total rushing yards (1,393), rushing yards-per-game (126.6) and ranked second in rushing touchdowns (12), helped lead the Bald Eagles to their first five-win season since 1982.
In the process, he became Lock Haven’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 1981, while his 1,393 rushing yards broke the Lock Haven single-season record set by Lock Haven Hall of Famer Joe Speese’s in 1979.
Collier’s rushing yards ranked fifth in all of Division II (No. 1 in region), while his yards per game ranked second in the super region and seventh in Division II. Collier rushed for over 100 yards five times, while going over 200 yards twice. The workhorse back also ranked fifth in the country with 1,631 all-purpose yards.
The AFCA’s Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.
