Zeller Secures Special Teams Player of Year as OPSU Hauls in 10 All-SAC Awards
December 3, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY The Sooner Athletic Conference announced the 2025 football award winners and all-conference teams on Wednesday, and Oklahoma Panhandle State collected 10 honors, highlighted by freshman David Zeller being named the SAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
In addition to the superlative honor, Zeller also received recognition as a First-Team All-SAC kick returner.
Offensively, running back Rylan Johnson and tight end William Rodriguez III landed spots on the Second Team.
Also earning All-SAC Second-Team spots were defensive lineman Elzie Barnett III and safety Loren Snead.
All-SAC Honorable Mentions from OPSU included center Demontray Pritchett, cornerback Charles Holmes III, kicker Carlos Vazquez and, at punter, Snead.
First-Team Honors
Zeller broke out three games into the season versus Louisiana Christian, when the Austria native brought in two long touchdown catches as part of a 150-yard receiving day. He then earned the handling of kickoff return duties the following week at Wayland Baptist, where he brought back a kick for a touchdown, the first of three return touchdowns on his season. All of Zeller's return scores went for at least 87 yards, including a season-long 97-yard return versus Texas Wesleyan. In all, the freshman wound up leading the nation with 39.6 yards per return as he also topped the SAC in total kickoff return yards and touchdowns.
Second-Team Honors
Johnson finished his season fourth in the conference in rushing yards, racking up 64.2 yards on the ground per game. He found the endzone twice and proved extremely reliable, fumbling only once in his junior season on 126 carries.
Rodriguez III averaged 27.5 receiving yards per game, good for 20th in the SAC. The senior El Paso, Texas, native's 29 catches ranked second on the team, while the 278 receiving yards were just 21 shy of the Aggies' leader.
Barnett III wrapped up a great career with OPSU, notching an impressive 44 tackles from his position, including 2.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, the latter of which ranked tied-12th in the conference.
Snead earned a Second-Team nod at safety with a three-interception campaign that saw him become the program's all-time interceptions leader at 10 picks. He also finished in the top-25 among SAC players with 5.3 tackles per contest.
Honorable Mentions
Holmes III ended his year tied-fourth in the SAC with three interceptions, and he denied opposing receivers pass-catching opportunities with a conference-best 15 pass breakups, which is tied-second best in the NAIA. The junior from Colleyville, Texas, also blocked three punts the most in the SAC and also tied-second most in the nation.
Pritchett anchored the Aggies' offensive line, making all 10 starts at center. A five-year member of the squad, the Mobile, Alabama, native proved to be a key cog the past two seasons, making 19 appearances since 2024.
Vazquez had another strong campaign with OPSU, going 21-for-22 on extra points and making 8-of-11 field goals, good for 45 total points. He also recorded nine touchbacks on the year.
Rounding out the awards, Snead picked up a second All-SAC honor as a punter, finishing the year second in the conference with 38.4 yards per boot and tied atop the leaderboard with 21 punts inside the 20.
2025 SAC Football Awards| OPSU Honors Page
In addition to the superlative honor, Zeller also received recognition as a First-Team All-SAC kick returner.
Offensively, running back Rylan Johnson and tight end William Rodriguez III landed spots on the Second Team.
Also earning All-SAC Second-Team spots were defensive lineman Elzie Barnett III and safety Loren Snead.
All-SAC Honorable Mentions from OPSU included center Demontray Pritchett, cornerback Charles Holmes III, kicker Carlos Vazquez and, at punter, Snead.
First-Team Honors
Zeller broke out three games into the season versus Louisiana Christian, when the Austria native brought in two long touchdown catches as part of a 150-yard receiving day. He then earned the handling of kickoff return duties the following week at Wayland Baptist, where he brought back a kick for a touchdown, the first of three return touchdowns on his season. All of Zeller's return scores went for at least 87 yards, including a season-long 97-yard return versus Texas Wesleyan. In all, the freshman wound up leading the nation with 39.6 yards per return as he also topped the SAC in total kickoff return yards and touchdowns.
Second-Team Honors
Johnson finished his season fourth in the conference in rushing yards, racking up 64.2 yards on the ground per game. He found the endzone twice and proved extremely reliable, fumbling only once in his junior season on 126 carries.
Rodriguez III averaged 27.5 receiving yards per game, good for 20th in the SAC. The senior El Paso, Texas, native's 29 catches ranked second on the team, while the 278 receiving yards were just 21 shy of the Aggies' leader.
Barnett III wrapped up a great career with OPSU, notching an impressive 44 tackles from his position, including 2.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, the latter of which ranked tied-12th in the conference.
Snead earned a Second-Team nod at safety with a three-interception campaign that saw him become the program's all-time interceptions leader at 10 picks. He also finished in the top-25 among SAC players with 5.3 tackles per contest.
Honorable Mentions
Holmes III ended his year tied-fourth in the SAC with three interceptions, and he denied opposing receivers pass-catching opportunities with a conference-best 15 pass breakups, which is tied-second best in the NAIA. The junior from Colleyville, Texas, also blocked three punts the most in the SAC and also tied-second most in the nation.
Pritchett anchored the Aggies' offensive line, making all 10 starts at center. A five-year member of the squad, the Mobile, Alabama, native proved to be a key cog the past two seasons, making 19 appearances since 2024.
Vazquez had another strong campaign with OPSU, going 21-for-22 on extra points and making 8-of-11 field goals, good for 45 total points. He also recorded nine touchbacks on the year.
Rounding out the awards, Snead picked up a second All-SAC honor as a punter, finishing the year second in the conference with 38.4 yards per boot and tied atop the leaderboard with 21 punts inside the 20.
2025 SAC Football Awards| OPSU Honors Page
