Photos by d3photography.com, Birmingham-Southern athletics, Linfield athletics



St. John's senior quarterback Jackson Erdmann, North Central senior quarterback Broc Rutter, Birmingham-Southern junior running back Robert Shufford, Linfield junior quarterback Wyatt Smith and Aurora junior quarterback Gavin Zimbelman are the five finalists for the 2019 Gagliardi Trophy.

The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after the late John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. Gagliardi passed away in October 2018 at the age of 91.

The four finalists were voted on by a 40-member panel and a fan vote, which whittled the field down from 12 semifinalists. Traditionally, four finalists have been named, but there was a tie for the final spot.

A total of 15,969 ballots were cast in the fan vote, with Cole Spieker, UW-La Crosse wide receiver, finishing tops in the the fan balloting with 15.2 percent of the vote. Erdmann finished second with 12.8%, followed closely by Zimbelman, Rutter and Shufford.

The winner of the Gagliardi Trophy will be presented with the award at a reception on his campus at a time to be determined following the NCAA Division III football playoffs.

The other semifinalists: Ithaca quarterback Joe Germinerio, Hardin-Simmons running back Jaquan Hemphill, Mary Hardin-Baylor defensive tackle Joey Longoria, Denison running back Alex Minton, Hope quarterback Mason Opple and St. Thomas running back Josh Parks.

Watch the finalist announcement show: