Eight Polar Bears named Academic All-District in Football by College Sports Communicators

By Wes Mayberry

| 2023 CSC Academic All-District Football Teams (.pdf) |

ADA — College Sports Communicators named eight Ohio Northern student-athletes to its Academic All-District Team in football for the 2023 season.

Sophomore offensive lineman Jordan Bassler (Monroe, Mich.), sophomore running back Louis Blasiole (Mantua/Crestwood), sophomore quarterback and kick holder Tyler Clum (Lima/Allen East), junior kicker and punter Jonmichael Elliott (Richmond, Va./Clover Hill), senior offensive lineman Hunter King (Canal Winchester), sophomore offensive lineman Jacob Marjak (Perry), senior tight end Noah Miller (Coldwater) and senior defensive lineman Connor Rowe (Mantua/Crestwood) all received the honor.

This marks the second straight year that Miller and Rowe have been named CSC Academic All-District and the first such accolades for the remaining six honorees.

Miller, a sport management and public relations major, was named All-OAC Honorable Mention this season after finishing second on the team with 26 receptions to go with 156 receiving yards and one touchdown. Also an All-Conference Honorable Mention pick as a freshman, he has 65 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 34 career games.

Rowe started all 10 games this season, finishing with 44 total tackles (14 solo, 30 assisted) and ranked second on the team in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (2) while adding three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 23 career games, the business management and accounting major and two-year starter has 68 tackles (21 solo, 47 assisted), 4.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.

Elliott, a finance major, led the team in scoring with 47 points on the season, making six field goals, including a long of 42 yards, and all 29 extra points. He also averaged 40.8 yards on 47 punts with a long of 54 yards and eight downed inside the 20-yard line. His punting average ranks fourth all-time at ONU for a single season, and his career average of 39 yards on 107 punts ranks third in program history.

Blasiole played in all 10 games with four starts and finished the season with a team-high 535 rushing yards on 93 carries (5.8 average) to go with four touchdowns. The computer engineering major ran for 100-plus yards in three of the Polar Bears' final four games during which he amassed 484 yards of his final total.

King, Marjak and Bassler played in 10, nine and eight games, respectively, along the ONU offensive line in 2023. They helped pave the way for a Polar Bear offense that averaged 310.6 yards (158.7 rushing, 151.9 passing) and 22.7 points per game while ceding just 12 sacks. King is an exercise physiology major, while Marjak and Bassler are majoring in engineering and sport management, respectively.

A biology major, Clum played in seven games this season as a backup quarterback and the team's primary holder for kicks.

The CSC Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Jan. 23.

The Polar Bears went 4-6 overall and finished sixth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 4-5 league record in 2023.