2024 NJAC Football All-Conference Team Announced

PITMAN, NJ — Malin Jasinski (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) and College of New Jersey senior defensive lineman Arnold Young (Mount Holly, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) have been named New Jersey Athletic Conference Football Offensive Players and Sam Mills Defensive Player of the Year headlines an impressive slate of award winners and honorees across all conferences.

In addition, Montclair State sophomore kicker Greg Casimir (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) was named NJAC Special Teams Player of the Year; Salisbury University freshman quarterback SyRus McGowan (Chestertown, MD/Queen Annes) is the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Year; Rowan freshman safety AJ Ryker (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) earned NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors; and Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood and his staff were named NJAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

A total of 80 student-athletes earned all-conference recognition for the fall of 2024. The all-conference and major award selections were determined by a vote of the league's seven head coaches and were based on conference-only performance.

Jasinski has had a record-setting season on the field. The three-time all-conference receiver led all NJAC players in all-conference receiving yards (105.2/game), well ahead of the second-highest receiving total in the conference of 86.8 yards per game. He totaled 53 receptions for 631 yards and three touchdowns in conference play, with a season-long TD reception of 55 yards. He currently ranks second in the nation in total receiving yards (1,378), total receptions per game (9.9) and total receiving yards per game (137.8). He graduates as TCNJ's career leader in receptions (169), single-season leader in receptions (99) and single-season leader in receiving yards (1,378), and now ranks second in program history with 2,053 career receiving yards. Jasinski also earned national honors this season as the winner of the D3football.com Team of the Week in Week 3.

Young, now a two-time all-conference defensive lineman for the Red Hawks, finished the season as the NJAC leader in all-conference tackles for loss and all-conference sacks. He had 12.5 total tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks, against NJAC opponents and caused opponents to lose a total of 67 yards. He added 25 tackles, 10 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. Young turned in one of his best defensive performances against nationally top-10 Salisbury, recording 3.0 sacks for 21 yards lost along with the fumble recovery.

Casimir, a Week 8 NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week and a Week 8 D3football.com Team of the Week, was the backbone of Montclair States' special teams. The kicker made the most field goals (8) in NJAC play among all conference kickers, tied a program record and recorded the longest field goal in the conference this season with a 52-yarder against William Paterson. In the same game, he also kicked the NJAC's second-longest field goal with a 50-yarder. Casimir also returned 23 kickoffs for 1,178 yards for an average of 51.2 per punt and recorded three touchbacks.

McGowan stepped into the starting quarterback role for the Sea Gulls midway through the season and got the ball in five of the six NJAC games, along with one non-conference game. He made an immediate impact, with the five-time NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week ranking fourth in rushing-only in the conference (62.8 yards/game) and totaling 314 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He threw for 32 completions for 557 passing yards (111.4/game) and threw for eight touchdowns in conference play.

Ryker made a quick impact on Rowan's defense in his first collegiate year on the court. The two-time NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week ranked fifth in the NJAC in conference-only tackles for loss (6.5) and sixth in conference-only sack totals (3.5), losing opponents 47 yards. He added two pass breakups, including a 39-yard interception return. Ryker was also named to the All-Conference Second Team defense.

Wood and his staff guided the Sea Gulls to a perfect 10-0 overall record in the regular season, including 6-0 in NJAC play for the outright conference title, and earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament. Under their leadership, Salisbury has reached No. 1 in the NPI rankings and No. 7 in the D3football.com national poll this season. A total of 16 Seagulls were named all-conference, with seven earning first-team honors.

KEY:

% – 2023 First Team All-Conference
~ – 2023 Second Team All-Conference
$ – Honorable Mention 2023
* – 2022 First Team All-Conference
^ – 2022 Second Team All-Conference
+ – Honorable mention 2022
! – Honorable mention 2021