The Liberty League announced the 2025 All-Liberty League teams on Tuesday afternoon, and a total of 13 individuals representing the University of Rochester football team received All-Conference accolades, following balloting by the leagues coaches.
 
Rochester had two First Team honorees, six members make the Second Team and five additional award winners, being named Honorable Mention. The 13 selections are the most by a Rochester gridiron squad since the Yellowjackets had 13 following the 2011 campaign.
 
Overall in 2025, the Yellowjackets finished 5-5 overall, were 2-5 in the Liberty League and finished the non-conference season with a unbeaten record for the second year in a row.
 
Senior wide receiver Aidan Papantonis and senior linebacker Daniel Santos were Rochester's First Team honorees this season. The six Yellowjackets on the All-League Second Team were sophomore running back Cole Raux, senior offensive lineman Aidan Francis, senior defensive lineman Victor Little, junior linebacker Jack Diggins, junior defensive back Braydon Felsinger and senior defensive back Judah Thomas.
 
Representing Rochester with Honorable Mention awards were senior tight end Jackson Kane, sophomore defensive lineman Rhys Lewis, senior linebacker Luke Herter, senior defensive back Jordy Tawa and first-year athlete Jett Genovese.
 
1st Team:
Aidan Papantonis (SR, WR, #4, Glen Gardner, NJ/Delbarton School) – 1st All-League honor; Was the top receiving option for the Yellowjackets, pulling in 64 receptions for 773 yards and 7 touchdowns. Averaged 77.3 yards per game and 6.4 receptions per game. Chipped in 21 rushing attempts for 94 yards. The senior led the Liberty League in total receptions and was second in yards and third in touchdowns. Nationally across Division III, Papantonis was 33rd in receptions per game, 71st in total receiving yards, 85th in receptions per game and 88th in receiving TD's. This year, Papantonis had three games (at Morrisville, vs Union, at St. Lawrence) with 10 receptions and two games (at Morrisville, vs St. John Fisher) with multiple receiving touchdowns.
 
Daniel Santos (SR, LB, #18, Cold Spring, NY/Haldane/Salisbury) – 1st All-League honor; Santos was Rochester's leading tackler in 2025, finishing with 89 total tackles across nine contests. He finished with 8.0 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 3 quarterback hurries. The senior ended up leading the Liberty League in total tackles per game and was second in total tackles. In the Division III national rankings, Santos was 32nd with his 9.9 tackles per game. His best game of the year came against eventual Liberty League champion Union where he piled up 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble, eventually earning D3football.com Team of the Week honors.
 
2nd Team:
Cole Raux (SO, RB, #2, New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) – 1st All-League honor; Raux was a steady presence in the Yellowjacket backfield, starting all ten games as a sophomore. He had 154 total rushing attempts for 667 net yards and 5 rushing touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 66.7 yards per game. Raux also chipped in 23 receptions for 93 yards and 1 receiving score. The sophomore finished fourth in the Liberty League in yards and yards per game and was fifth in total carries. His best game of the season came against Buffalo State on October 25, where he rushed 19 times for 104 yards, adding two catches for 16 yards, ending with 120 all-purpose yards.
 
Aidan Francis (SR, OL, #64, Old Hickory, TN/Donelson Christian Academy) – 1st All-League honor; Francis served as the leader of the offensive line, starting all ten games at center for the Yellowjackets. He aided in Rochester rushing for over 150 yards per game, which ranked inside the top-100 team in Division III. Additionally, Rochester was the 8th-least penalized team in Division III in 2025, with Francis accounting for just one penalty this season.
 
Victor Little (SR, DL, #93, Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) – 1st All-League honor; Led Rochester's defensive line with four sacks in 2025, ranking tied for fifth among all players in the Liberty League. The senior ended with 48 total tackles from his interior defensive line position, including 19 solo stops and 7.0 tackles for loss for 30 yards, with the TFL number ending in the top-15 in the conference. Little added one forced fumble. Little ended up with two sacks in URochester's win over St. John Fisher on September 20 and finished with a season-high nine tackles and a sack against Liberty League champion Union on November 8.
 
Jack Diggins (JR, LB, #7, Harrington Park, NJ/Northern Valley Regional) – 1st All-League honor; Ended as Rochester's third leading tackler with 78 stops on the season, including 34 solo. The junior linebacker added 6.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks, while also posting a pair of quarterback hurries. Diggins also had a knack for making splash plays defensively, picking off three passes for 120 total return yards adding in one forced fumble. The interception total ranked him tied for first in the conference, while he also was seventh in total tackles and ninth in passes defended. He was named Liberty League Defensive Player of the Week twice during the season, following Yellowjacket victories over Hilbert (14 tackles, 1 forced fumble) and Buffalo State (11 tackles, 1 interception return TD).
 
Braydon Felsinger (JR, DB, #2, Landisville, PA/Hempfield) – 1st All-League honor; Felsinger was a playmaker for the Rochester defense all season long, ranking second on the team lead with 86 tackles (46 solo) along with adding in 5.0 TFL, 3 interceptions (99 yards), 4 pass break-up's, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble. Individually, Felsinger finished the regular season tied for 1st in the Liberty League in interceptions, was second in fumbles recovered and solo tackles fifth in total tackles and passes defended. The junior safety was Liberty League Defensive Player of the Week and D3football.com Team of the Week on November 3rd and had five games with 10 or more tackles this season. He had a 60-yard interception return and a 26-yard fumble return TD against Hobart, added an 11-tackle, 2 TFL and 1 interception game vs. Ithaca and chipped in a fumble recovery against Union.
 
Judah Thomas (SR, DB, #23, St. Paul, MN/Saint Paul Academy) – 2nd All-League honor (2023 2nd Team); Was Rochester's top cornerback option in 2025, starting all 10 games for the Yellowjackets. Finished the year with 31 total tackles, including 21 solo stops, 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack. Thomas added a pair of interceptions and had nine additional pass break-up's for 11 total passes defended on the season. One of the senior's interceptions was a 25-yard pick-6 interception return touchdown against SUNY Morrisville on Sep. 13. Thomas ended up ranking 65th in NCAA Division III with 1.10 passes defended per game, which led the Liberty League. Also, his interception total was tied for sixth in the conference.
 
Honorable Mention:
Jackson Kane (SR, TE, #83, Boring, OR/Sam Barlow) – 3rd All-League honor (2023 2nd Team, 2024, 2nd Team); Ended as the Yellowjackets second-leading receiver this season, hauling in 27 receptions for 314 yards. He caught a pass in every game and also was a key blocker in the Rochester rushing attack as a tight end. Kane was one of the Yellowjacket team captains and had the best game of his career against League champion Union, catching 9 balls for 116 yards. His long catch was 33 yards this season coming against Hilbert on Oct. 11. Kane's reception total was tenth in the Liberty League, and most among conference tight ends.
 
Rhys Lewis (SO, DL, #0, Albany, NY/Shaker) – 1st All-League honor; The sophomore edge rusher made an impact in his second season with URochester, providing 59 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break-up and 3 quarterback hurries. Lewis was fifth on the team in tackles, led Rochester in TFL's and was one of six on the team with multiple sacks, also being nationally-ranked in tackles for loss per game (1.05). The sophomore ranked tied for third in the conference in tackles for loss, and was fourth in yards from TFL's with 43 on the season. Both of his sacks came in Liberty League games and Lewis ended up with 5 or more tackles in seven games, notching at least three stops in all ten contests.
 
Luke Herter (SR, LB, #12, Ashland, MA/Ashland) – 2nd All-League honor (2024 H.M.); Finished the season top-10 in the Liberty League in tackles with 73 over ten starts, adding in 9.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 quarterback hurries and 1 pass break-up. Herter had four games with double-digit tackles, including a career-high 12 against Hobart, when he also had 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 0.5 sacks. Ended up ranking 24th in Division III in forced fumbles per game (0.3), also ranking second in the Liberty League, and was top-200 in total tackles per game (7.3).
 
Jordy Tawa (SR, DB, #29, Wilsonville, OR/West Linn) – 4th All-League honor (2022 H.M., 2023, 2nd Team, 2024 1st Team); Limited to five games with a pair of injuries, but still was one of the top defensive backs in the conference when he was on the field. Had 21 total tackles and 1 interception along with 7 pass break-up's. Enjoyed an excellent game at SUNY Morrisville on Sep. 13, recording a season-high seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and matched a career-high with four pass break-up's, third best in a single-game in team history. Tawa's lone interception came in the endzone in Rochester's shutout win over Hilbert on October 11, with the senior returning the ball 51 yards on the play. Had he qualified based on total games played, Tawa's eight passes defended would have ranked fourth in the Liberty League.
 
Jett Genovese (FY, ATH, #6, Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) – 1st All-League honor; Genovese had a solid all-around season as an athlete for the Yellowjackets, serving as a passer, rusher and kick returner in 2025. The first-year completed 15-of-18 passes for 153 yards, rushed 49 times for 297 yards and 3 TD's and added 17 kickoff returns for 402 yards. He was named Liberty League Rookie of the Week on October 13 following a 64-yard, 2-rush TD performance against Hilbert, also going 4-for-4 passing in that contest. The first-year had five games with 30 or more rushing yards, including a season-high 78 yards at Buffalo State, and also scored in the season-opening victory against Olivet.