The University of Rochester football team saw two of its athletes named All-Americans on Thursday, with D3football.com picking junior cornerback Jordy Tawa and senior return specialist Trey Johnson for national awards following the 2024 season.
 
Tawa was selected as a First Team All-American, earning consensus First Team All-America honors after previously being named by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Associated Press (AP) in 2024.
 
Johnson earned his All-America spot by being selected to the D3football.com Fourth Team.
 
The two honors boost the Rochester all-time All-America total in the sport of football to 51, dating back to UR's first All-American back in 1942. Tawa and Johnson are the first two in the program to receive D3football.com All-America status, with 2024 being the 26th edition of the annual All-America team from the organization.
 
Tawa was one of the premier cornerbacks in Division III throughout the 2024 campaign, ranking second in the country with seven interceptions through 11 games played. His 0.6 interceptions per game total was fifth best in Division III, with the junior also ranking fourth in total passes defended per game at 1.8 throughout 2024.
 
The Wilsonville, Oregon native started off the season on fire, picking off a pass in five straight games. His interception on the final drive of the game seals Rochester's victory over Rensselaer on October 5th, pushing the Yellowjackets record to 5-0 on the season. He added picks against fellow Liberty League schools Buffalo State and St. Lawrence while recording an interception in all four non-conference games this season.
 
Additionally, Tawa piled up 42 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and led the conference with 13 pass break-ups. During the 2024 season, Tawa became Rochester's all-time leader in passes defended (interceptions plus break-ups), sitting at 50 for his career with an entire season still to play. His seven interceptions in 2024 boosted his career total to 12, ranking tied for third all-time in Rochester program history.
 
For Johnson, his final season was stellar in the return game, in addition to his exploits as a wide receiver. The 2024 campaign saw Johnson record 19 kickoff returns for 572 yards and two touchdowns. He added 11 punt returns for 47 additional yards. On offense, Johnson finished with 55 receptions for 567 yards and 4 touchdowns, chipping in nine rushes for 45 yards. During the year, Johnson became Rochester's all-time receptions leader, ending with 171 over his career.
 
In 2024, Johnson's two kickoff return touchdowns ranked tied for third in Division III, with his 30.1 kickoff return average sitting at seventh best among Division III players. Additionally, his combined kick return yardage of 619 was 31st in Division III, with Johnson also ranking in the top-100 in all-purpose (rushing, receiving, returns) yards per game at 111.91 during 2024.
 
Johnson, from Amherst, New Hampshire, tied the school record with his two kick return TD's this season, matching the feat done by four other individuals in University of Rochester history. His return touchdowns came against the University of New England (95 yards) on September 28 and against Hobart (97 yards) on November 16. The 97-yard return is the third longest in team history and his season total of 572 yards was fourth best in a single-season at Rochester.