There’s a huge game for John Carroll to be played on Dec. 13, but, win or lose, this week has already turned out as a pretty good one for the football program.
On Dec. 10, Coach Jeff Behrman, quarterback Nick Semptimphelter, wide receiver Ty Montgomery and four others were honored with big-time awards by two Division III college football outlets.
D3football.com released its All-Region teams, and in Region 4 Semptimphelter was named Offensive Player of the Year, the first time a JCU player won that honor.
John Carroll’s Jeff Behrman was named the D3football.com Region 4 Coach of the Year on Dec. 10. (Lianna Holub – For The News-Herald)
Behrman — who has the Blue Streaks 11-1 heading in their NCAA D-III quarterfinal game at Berry Dec. 13 — was named Region 4 Coach of the Year. Former JCU coach Tom Arth won that honor in 2016. Also in 2016, Mentor grad and linebacker Mason McKenrick was named Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year.
Awards season is here! Announcing the D3football .com All-Region teams! Voted on from more than 1,000 nominations by SIDs. https://t.co/6FToA1XnUb #d3fb
— D3football.com (@d3football) December 10, 2025
Semptimphelter obviously was a first-team Region 4 pick, and he was joined by Montgomery and defensive tackle Tommy Wasinski.
On the third team from JCU were running back Nemo Jenkins, linebacker Chris Golson and offensive tackle Grant Myers.
.@nick_semp and @TyMontgomery_4 huge honors …
– Nick named @d3football Region 4 Offensive POY
– Ty 2nd team All-America pick at WR by @WeAreAFCA @JCUFootball @jcusports @NHPreps pic.twitter.com/WsfDUcPMrP
— Mark Podolski (@mpodo) December 11, 2025
It can be argued Semtimphelter has been the best college QB in Ohio among all the divisions. He’s completing a nation-best 79.3 percent of his throws and has 3,060 yards and 31 touchdown passes against three interceptions.
“This is an extremely humble guy,” Montgomery told The News-Herald while patting Semptimphelter on the shoulder. “He’s a hard worker. Day and day out, he doesn’t take any days off. He appreciates every rep when it comes to the details. That’s what makes him THE best quarterback in college football in my opinion.”
Against Mount Union Dec. 6 in the Blue Streaks’ 10-7 upset win at Mount Union, Semptimphelter completed 25 of 40 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown.
“Tough, really tough,” said Behrman about his QB’s play against Mount. “… He found ways, kept finding ways. His accuracy is next level.”
John Carroll wide receiver Ty Montgomery was a second-team All-America selection by the American Coaches Football Association on Dec. 10. (Tim Phillis – For The News-Herald)
Momtgomery has been one of the nation’s top wide receivers this fall. Through 12 games, he has 100 receptions, 1,266 yards and 15 total touchdowns.
📰Introducing the 2025 AFCA D3 All-Americanshttps://t.co/0C2svNZh1Y
— AFCA (@WeAreAFCA) December 10, 2025
Also on Dec. 10, the American Coaches Football Association released its All-America team, and Montgomery was selected to the second team.
“Super well-deserved,” said Semptimphelter about Montgomery. “He works his tail off. I’d tell he deserves Region (4) palyer of the year in my opinion. You see it every day in practice, in the offseason, the hard work he puts in he deserves every accolade he gets.”
Wasinski’s road to becoming a JCU standout was anything but conventional. At St. Ignatius, he was a two-year starter at defensive tackle and a team captain under former coach Chuck Kyle, but he went unrecruited.
He enrolled at JCU and didn’t play football his freshman year. As a sophomore, Wasinski lost about 60 pounds and joined the team with the hopes of becoming a running back/fullback. Eventually, he regained the weight and returned to the defensive line, where he’s been a force the last two seasons.
Also on the Region 4 team was Mount Union quarterback Mikey Maloney. The Riverside grad was a third-team pick. Baldwin Wallace offensive lineman Nick Lulow, also a Riverside graduate, joined Maloney on the third team.
In 2021, the realigned D-III football into six regions. Region 4 includes the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the North Coast Athletic Conference and the Ohio Athletic Conference.
John Carroll at Berry College
What: NCAA Division III quarterfinal playoff game
When: Noon, Dec. 13
Where: Valhalla Stadium, Mount Barry, Ga.
TV: ESPN+; Radio: WJCU-FM 88.7
Records: JCU 11-1, Berry 11-1
What’s next: Winner plays either North Central or Bethel in a national semifinal at a site to be determined.
