Announcements

Eisenbraun, O’Connor Named Academic All-Americans

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(Courtesy/CSC Sports Information)

Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information

CHADRON, Neb. โ€“ The Chadron State football program continued its season of academic accolades, placing two players on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division II Academic All-America Second Team in punter Brodie Eisenbraun and defensive end Hunter O’Connor.

Eisenbraun, a native of Sturgis, South Dakota, recently graduated with a 3.97 GPA as a sport, fitness and recreation major. A two-time Second Team All-RMAC punter (2023 and 2024), Eisenbraun averaged over 43 yards per punt, hitting 15 punts of 50-plus yards.

O’Connor, a Broomfield, Colorado native, has a 3.51 GPA as a sport, fitness and recreation major while pursuing a master’s in sports management and starting all 11 games. O’Connor, who was recently named a Don Hansen Honorable Mention All-American, is Chadron State’s all-time sack leader and has three First Team All-RMAC selections to his credit. 

The Academic All-America selections are the first for Chadron State football since the Eagles had a run of three straight years with one selection from 2018-2020. Running back Kevin Coy, Jr. was selected to the Second Team in 2018, Stevann Brown was a First Team special teams selection in 2019 and wide receiver Cole Thurness was a Second Team pick in 2020, serving as CSC’s most recent selection until this year.ย 

Chadron State’s two Academic All-Americans this year mark just the fifth time in program history that the Eagles have had multiple selections. Chadron State previously had two selections in 1973 and 2008 and four selections apiece in 2013 and 2014. Including Eisenbraun and O’Connor, Chadron State football now has 31 total Academic All-American selections in program history and 25 individual student-athletes who have been named an Academic All-American.

To be eligible for the Academic All-America teams, student-athletes must be academic sophomores and above with a 3.50 GPA or better who have been outstanding on-field contributors. The first and second teams for NCAA Division I, II and III as well as NAIA are voted on by those division’s sports information directors. 

Chadron State is one of four RMAC teams with CSC Academic All-America selections, joining Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado.