Defensive lineman Kobe Claybourne of South Dakota State highlights a list of 38 student-athletes named today to the 2025 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Scholar-Athlete Team.  Claybourne was voted MVFC Scholar-Athlete of the Year by league sports information directors. He carries a 4.0 grade point averaging while pursuing his master's degree in finance.  He earned an undergraduate degree in economics (also a 4.0 GPA).

2025 Scholar-Athlete Team (PDF)




Nominees must be starters or important reserves; must have participated in at least 66 percent of his team's games and carry a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale). Nominees in graduate school must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better both as an undergrad AND in graduate school.  Additionally, nominees must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his institution.  Transfer student-athletes are immediately eligible. If a transfer student-athlete (undergraduates or graduates) was in his first semester at an institution, his cumulative undergraduate GPA and cumulative graduate GPA (if grad GPA is applicable) from his former institution was utilized.  League sports information directors voted on the team.
 

FIRST TEAM	Yr.	GPA*	Major
TE Derek Anderson, UNI	Sr.	4.00*	Kinesiology & Sports
QB Beau Brungard, Youngstown State	Jr.	3.91	Business Administration
DL Kobe Clayborne, South Dakota State	Sr.	4.00*	Economics
DT Jaxon Duttenhefer, North Dakota St.	Sr.	4.00*	Accounting
OL Noah Fenske, Southern Illinois	Sr.	4.00	Undeclared
LB Mason Kaplan, Illinois State	Sr.	4.00*	Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
LB Logan Kopp, North Dakota State	Sr.	3.76	Mechanical Engineering
WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State	Sr.	3.87*	Business Administration
PK Andrew Lastovka, Youngstown State	Jr.	3.98	Civil Engineering
DS David Neuberger, UND	Sr.	4.00	Kinesiology
DB Dylan Rowsey, Murray State	Jr.	4.00	Agricultural Business
LB Nathaniel Staehling, North Dakota St.	Jr.	3.88	Finance
FB Truman Werremeyer, North Dakota St.	Sr.	4.00*	Applied Statistics
SECOND TEAM	Yr.	GPA*	Major
LB Andrew Behm, Southern Illinois	Sr.	3.80*	Finance, Business Administration
OL Ben Buxa, UND	So.	4.00	Mathematics
LB Bryce Johnson, South Dakota State	Jr.	3.93	Human Biology/Pre-Medicine
DB Jy Martin, UND	Sr.	3.82	Criminal Justice Studies
TE Alex McDonald, Youngstown State	Jr.	3.97	Business Administration
LB Malachi McNeal, UND	Sr.	3.70	Athletic Administration & Coaching
DS Kaydon Olivia, South Dakota State	Sr.	3.96	Sport & Rec. Mgmt./Interdisciplinary Studies
QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State	Sr.	4.00*	Sport Management
WR Ayden Price, UNI	So.	3.98	Biology & Pre-Prof: Medicine
QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State	Sr.	3.68	Entrepreneur Small Business Management
FB Mason South, UND	Jr.	3.97	Kinesiology
TE Aidan Quinn, Southern Illinois	Sr.	4.00	Agribusiness Economics
*Graduate GPAs listed for qualifying student-athletes

HONORABLE MENTION
Illinois State: OL Ben Wallace; Indiana State: LB Alex Rose, LB Braxton Sampson; North Dakota: QB Jerry Kaminski; North Dakota State: TE Carson Williams, WR/RS Jackson Williams; South Dakota: TE Jesse Miller; South Dakota State: WR Grahm Goering, TE/FB Andrew Gustad; Southern Illinois: DE Camron Miller, TE Ryan Schwendeman; Youngstown State: OL Van Keen, OL Joe Sferra.