LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - The Little Rock Touchdown Club, in conjunction with the Great American Conference, announced Virginia Union senior running back Curtis Allen as the Division II College Football Player of the Year and the recipient of the 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy.
Allen received 193 total points; 92 points clear of Harding running back Andrew Miller and Indianapolis quarterback Gavin Sukup. Minnesota State Moorhead quarterback Jack Strand placed fourth. His 92-point margin represents the widest in 10 years and the sixth-largest in award history.
Division II Sports Information Directors act as the voting electorate for the award. A total of 104 SIDs participated in the final voting. The point system of three points for a first place vote, two for second and one for third determined the point total.
HARLON HILL HISTORY
Allen ran for 2,386 yards, the fifth-most in Division II history and the most by a DII running back in seven years. Additionally, he leads Division II with 30 rushing touchdowns. He ran for at least 100 yards in every game this season. He recorded four 200-yard games, highlighted by 369, and five touchdowns, against Bluefield State.
He becomes the first running back to win the Harlon Hill Trophy since Bloomsburg’s Franklin Quiteh won in 2013. Additionally, he becomes the first player from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association honored with the Hill Trophy.
Miller helped the Bisons advance to Saturday’s DII National Championship game for the second time in the last three seasons. He has run for 1,978 yards and 27 touchdowns. Both totals rank second to Allen. He averaged 7.49 yards per carry. In four playoff games, he has rushed for 615 yards and has scored eight touchdowns
Sukup became the school’s first Harlon Hill finalist as he led the Greyhounds to their first DII playoff victory since 2018. His 195.6 pass efficiency ranks as the fifth-best in Division II history and as the top mark in 20 years. He led DII with a 72.3 percent completion percentage. He ranked second in the country with 46 total touchdowns.
Like Sukup, Strand became his school’s first Hill finalist. He set the school record for touchdown passes with 42 and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference career records for passing yards, 13,155 and passing touchdowns, 115. His 47 total touchdowns lead Division II.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.