Football Wednesday, December 20, 2023 NWC Athletic Communications

Gramstad Highlights NAIA AP All-America Teams

Five Red Raiders named to an AP All-America team this season

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP News) – After being named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Player of the Year last week, junior quarterback Jalyn Gramstad highlights the 2023 Associated Press (AP) NAIA All-America teams, as five Red Raiders from the Northwestern College football team (14-1, 10-0 GPAC) earn All-America recognition.

Jalyn Gramstad – AP First Team All-American (QB)
The 2023 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year continues to add major awards to his name. Gramstad (Jr., Lester, Iowa), in his first full year as starting quarterback, has solidified himself as one of the best signal callers in the NAIA.

The junior has had another stellar season so far in 2023, leading Northwestern back to Durham and the NAIA national championship game for the second-straight year. He has surpassed 3,000 passing yards in a season for the first time in his Red Raider career, throwing for 3,681 yards heading out to North Carolina with his NAIA-leading 67.8% completion percentage (259-for-382).

This season saw him set new single-season program records in both completion percentage and passes completed.

Gramstad has thrown for a career-high 35 touchdowns this season to just nine interceptions, with his longest pass being 64 yards at Mount Marty back on September 23. He has compiled a quarterback rating of 174.27 this season, which sat fifth in the NAIA this season.

The leader of the Red Raider offense has now been named the NAIA Player of Year, the GPAC Offensive Player of the Year, and now his third All-American selection of the season. He was also named a First Team All-Conference performer, on top of his Second Team honors in 2022.

Cody Moser – AP First Team All-American (DB)
Adjusting from cornerback to safety this season on the defensive unit for Defensive Coordinator Billy Kirch, Moser (Jr., Rock Valley, Iowa) has had a season to remember. He has exploded onto the national scene with his NAIA-leading 10 interceptions, tying an NWC single-season program record (records only available to 1998). Additionally, the safety has recorded 36 tackles this season to go along with five recorded pass break-ups.

He had a season-high five tackles in the win at Midland on September 30, while twice recording multi-interception games (vs. Hastings, Oct. 7 & at Dakota Wesleyan, Nov. 4). In the Homecoming win over Hastings, one of his interceptions he returned 85 yards to the house for the fifth-longest INT returned for a touchdown in program history.

This season, Moser has picked up his first-career All-Conference honor (First Team) and All-American accolade (Second Team).

Michael Storey – AP First Team All-American (WR)
The career of Storey (Sr., Spencer, Iowa) continues to impress the Raider faithful, week in and week out. This season has cemented the Spencer, Iowa native as one of the best wide outs in program history, as he leaves the program all the only Red Raider to record 300+ receptions in their career (303).

For the second-straight season, Storey has compiled a 1,000-yard receiving season, saving his best season for last with a career-high 1,475 yards entering the national title game. He also leads the team in receptions with 92, while sitting second in the NAIA with his 16 receiving touchdowns as he averages just under 100 yards per game (98.3), which sat six in the nation.

For the second-straight season, the Red Raider wide receiver has been named an All-American after his Second Team honors in 2022. The AP honor is his first-career First Team honor. He has earned an All-Conference recognition of some kind in each of his five seasons in a Red Raider uniform, including First Team honors the last three seasons (2021-23).

Jawan Grant – AP First Team All-American (OL)
Grant (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) was the captain on the offensive line that sat top-25 in the NAIA in both passing yards (17^th) and rushing yards (23^rd), and also a top-15 scoring team at 15^th with 36.8 points per game. He anchored an offensive line, playing 12 of the 15 games this season up front.

The senior is picking up his first-career All-America nod, earning his AP First Team honors.

Konner McQuillan – AP Second Team All-American (RB)
The senior running back has exploded onto the scene this season under first-year Offensive Coordinator Josh Fakkema. McQuillan (Sr., Leavenworth, Kan.) has notched his first-career 1,000-yard rushing season, ending the season with his 1,322 yards on 217 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per touch.

He leads the GPAC, and sits in a tie for fourth in the NAIA, with his team-leading 21 rushing scores. He broke off a career-high rush of 73 yards for a touchdown against Briar Cliff back on October 14. To open the season, he rushed for a career-best 252 yards at Concordia (Neb.), the first time he has rushed for 200+ yards in a game.

Additionally, he has been a threat in the passing game out of the backfield. He has a career-high seven receiving touchdowns, bringing his season total of touchdowns scored to 28. He sits third on the team with his 570 receiving yards on 48 catches, averaging 11.7 yards per catch.

McQuillan was named a First Team All-Conference (RB) performer for the third-straight season this year. While his Second Team All-American honor is the first All-American recognition of his Red Raider career, including his Second Team AP All-American selection.

You can find the full list of the AP All-America teams linked above. The AP only recognizes two teams (First and Second Teams) with no honorable mention selections.

On the First Team list, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) saw six athletes named to the with the four Red Raiders, plus Morningside's offensive lineman Riley Lindberg and defensive back Lonell Boyd Jr. In total, the league saw 11 athletes honored between the AP First and Second Teams.

On the season, between the AP, NAIA, and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), five Red Raiders received All-American distinction this season.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad: QB; 6' 0"; Junior

#54 Jawan Grant: OL; 6' 0"; Senior

#3 Konner McQuillan: RB; 6' 0"; Senior

#4 Cody Moser: DB; 6' 2"; Junior

#4 Michael Storey: WR; 6' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad
: 6' 0"; Junior
: QB

#54 Jawan Grant
: 6' 0"; Senior
: OL

#3 Konner McQuillan
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RB

#4 Cody Moser
: 6' 2"; Junior
: DB

#4 Michael Storey
: 6' 3"; Senior
: WR