Nicholas DeForrest (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) has been named to the All-Region 2 First Team after a record breaking season that saw him shatter the previous single season record for blocked kicks, doubling the mark with four blocks.

D3Football.com released it's annual Division III Football All-Region Teams on Monday, honoring the top players in all of Division III Football for the 2024 season. The entire Division III landscape is split into six different groups, or regions, with each region receiving three player groups of honorees who received national recognition. Region Two contains powerhouse programs such as SUNY Cortland, Susquehanna, Johns Hopkins, and Salisbury. Three of the previously mentioned teams are currently part of the final eight teams left in the Division III playoffs.

Across all these talented programs, it was Nicholas DeForrest (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) who ranked out as the top non-kicker and non-returner special teams player. The Sophomore Linebacker had an outstanding breakout season as a special teamer, blocking four kicks including an emphatic punt block during the Pioneers' Homecoming tilt against Alfred University. DeForrest's block resulted in a go-ahead score late in the contest and singlehandedly gave him an Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week nod. The Holland Patent product also fell just one blocked kick short of tying two players atop the NCAA Division III rankings, ending up tied for third with his four blocks. 

The standout Sophomore had a breakout year in 2024, and will look to carve out an even bigger role with the program entering his Junior season.