NCAC RELEASE

CLEVELAND, Ohio – On Thursday afternoon, the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) revealed the major award winners and all-conference teams for the 2025 NCAC football season. Ohio Wesleyan University freshman wide receiver Reddik Pillarelli was named NCAC Newcomer of the Year alongside an offensive second team All-NCAC selection. Joining Pillarelli on the All-NCAC teams was senior cornerback Jake Smothers with a defensive first team selection, senior wide receiver Bryan Hines Jr. with a specialist first team selection, senior wide receiver Josh Hurst with an offensive third team selection, and junior linebacker Grant Johnson with a defensive third team selection.

Pillarelli put together a very impressive freshman campaign to earn his NCAC Newcomer of the Year award and second team offensive All-NCAC selection, playing in all 10 games this season and leading the Bishops with 58 receptions and 876 yards – the fourth most single-season receiving yards in Ohio Wesleyan history – good enough for the fourth-most yards in the conference and fifth-most receptions. He averaged 15.1 yards per catch and 87.6 yards per game and scored three touchdowns this season, finishing with the team's single-game high for receptions with 11 twice – against DePauw and Wabash – and the team's single-game high for yards with 183 against Wabash. Pillarelli's longest play of the year came as a 66-yard reception against Otterbein.

Smothers' first team selection is his second overall All-NCAC honor and second first team selection, playing in all 10 games this season for the Red and Black. He finished fifth in the conference with a team-leading 40 solo tackles and finished third on OWU with 64 total tackles. As a defensive back, Smothers recorded five pass breakups and tallied two takeaways with an interception and a forced fumble, adding a fumble recovery as well. However, his biggest play of the season by far was his 84-yard punt return touchdown to seal the deal against Kenyon, tying the third-longest punt return in Ohio Wesleyan history.

Hines Jr.'s first team selection is his first All-NCAC honor, playing in all 10 games for the Battling Bishops this season. As a return specialist, he made 16 kickoff returns for a total of 476 yards, averaging 29.8 yards per return and 47.6 return yards per game. Hines Jr.'s highlight of the year came against No. 11 John Carroll when he took a kickoff return 91 yards to the house. In his primary position as a receiver, he finished third on the team with 27 receptions and 367 yards, averaging 13.6 yards per catch and 36.7 yards per game. Hines Jr. ended the season with four total touchdowns.

Hurst's third team selection is his third overall All-NCAC honor with second team selections in 2022 and 2023. The 2022 NCAC Newcomer of the Year played in all 10 games for the Bishops this season and finished second on the team with 52 receptions and 634 yards, averaging 12.2 yards per catch and 63.4 yards per game. Hurst led the team with six touchdowns and set the OWU record for most career receptions in his final game with an even total of 200.

Johnson's third team selection is his first All-NCAC honor, playing in all 10 games for the Red and Black this season. He led the team with 86 total tackles and finished second with 38 solo tackles, also causing four turnovers with two interceptions and two forced fumbles with two fumble recoveries as well. Johnson ended the year with two sacks to his name for a total loss of 21 yards and seven total tackles for loss, resulting in a total loss of 36 yards.