20 from the Peoria area played for college football national titles
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At least 20 college football players from the Journal Star area competed for national championships to end the 2025 season, ranging from junior college up through NCAA Division I.
The rosters for Illinois State, North Central College, Iowa Western and College of DuPage each included players who played high school football for schools in the Journal Star circulation area.
Below are the schools, when they played for a championship and the players from Peoria rostered according to each school’s website:
Illinois State
- Championship game: Lost to Montana State 35-34 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game, Jan. 5, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Peoria-area players: Seth Glatz, sr., RB, Morton; Kaevion Mack, sr., WR, Peoria High; Ben Wallace, so., OL, Metamora; Micah Barnhart, sr., OL, Canton.
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North Central College
- Championship game: Lost to Wisconsin–River Falls 24-14 in the NCAA Division III championship game, Jan. 4, 2026, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
- Peoria-area players: Zeb Rashid, fr., Annawan/Wethersfield; Evan Keil, fr., RB, Metamora; Kenny Rutherford, jr., DB, Peoria High; Kaden Hartnett, jr., DB, Metamora; Trevon Hunter, sr., LB, LaSalle-Peru; Lane Wheelwright, fr., QB, Farmington; Brevyn Vogel, fr., DB, LaSalle-Peru; Ryan Dietz, so., DB, Dunlap; Drew Harp, sr., LB, Princeton; Ty Dykes, fr., OL, Tremont; Alec Earley, fr., OL, Annawan/Wethersfeld; Dennis Dracup, fr., OL, Morton; Andy Medina, fr., DL, LaSalle-Peru; Graham Wight, jr., DL, ROWVA/Williamsfield.
Iowa Western
- Championship game: Defeated Hutchinson (Kansas) 28-10 in the NJCAA Division I national championship game, Dec. 17, 2025, at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas.
- Peoria-area player: Jaivyn Moore, WR, Peoria High
College of DuPage
- Championship game: Defeated North Dakota State College of Science 36-13 in the NJCAA Division III national championship game, Dec. 6, 2025, at Bob MacDougall Field in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
- Peoria-area player: Ayize Martin, so., DL, Bureau Valley
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: College football players from Peoria who competed for national titles
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