Eleven members of the Holy Cross football team were selected as All-Patriot League honorees, the conference office announced on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Additionally, senior quarterback Matthew Sluka and fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs were named the Patriot League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

Sluka, a finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors for the first time in his career while also earning a spot on the All-Patriot League squad for the third straight year. 

In 2023, he completed 122 of his 197 passes (62%) for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the ground, he rushed for 1,247 yards – third most in single-season program history – and nine touchdowns. He set a Division I single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback, tallying 330 yards on the ground against Lafayette on Oct. 21. 

In his Holy Cross career, in which he guided the Crusaders to four Patriot League titles as the starting quarterback, Sluka totaled 3,583 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns – both ranking second-most in program history. He additionally threw for 5,916 yards, ranking sixth in school history. His 59 career touchdown passes are fifth-most ever at Holy Cross. 

Sluka is the eighth player in program history to be named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and the first since running back Domenic Cozier in 2019. 

Dobbs is now a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year after earning the same honor in 2021. He becomes a four-time All-Patriot League honoree as well, being named to the first team for the third time.Named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, Dobbs ranked as one of the most elite defensive players in the nation in 2023, totaling 123 tackles (63 solo), 12 tackles for loss, six quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles and 14 quarterback hurries in nine games. He recorded double-digit tackles in every contest; his 13.7 tackles per game and 7.0 solo tackles per game both ranked as the second-best marks in the nation. 

Dobbs finished his Holy Cross career as the all-time leading tackler in Patriot League history, with 432 tackles to his name in 43 career games — ranking third in school history. His 46.5 tackles for loss are the most in Holy Cross history, while his 22.5 sacks are fourth in school history.

There have been nine Patriot League Defensive Players of the Year in school history; Dobbs is the first Crusader to earn the honor twice in his career. 

Junior running back Jordan Fuller becomes a two-time All-Patriot League selection after earning first team honors this season. In 2023, Fuller led the nation with 19 total touchdowns, including a school-record 18 rushing touchdowns. He racked up 1,046 rushing yards and was a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week selection, in addition to being named the National Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4. Fuller became the program's all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns (40) earlier this fall. 

Senior wide receiver Jalen Coker earned first team honors, becoming a three-time All-Patriot League honoree. Coker had the most touchdown receptions in all of FCS, with 15 on the year; his 1,040 receiving yards ranked fifth in the nation. He caught at least one touchdown in all but one game this season. He set a number of program records this year, with Coker's 15 single-season touchdowns ranking as the most in single-season program history. In his Crusader career, Coker totaled 2,715 receiving yards and 31 touchdown receptions, both the most in school history. 

Fifth-year right guard C.J. Hanson and senior left tackle Luke Newman were first team selections after both started all 11 games for the Crusaders. The duo led one of the top offensive lines in all of FCS, with Holy Cross ranking in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense (third, 264.2 yards per game), total offense (fourth, 466.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (sixth, 36.9 points per game). Newman is now a three-time first team honoree, while Hanson has been named to the All-Patriot League first team in back-to-back seasons. 

Senior defensive tackle Dillon Springer earns All-Patriot League honors for the first time in his career as first team selection on defense. A veteran on a young defensive line, Springer started all 11 games and helped lead a unit that had the top scoring defense in Patriot League action (25.5 points per game). Springer finished the year with 21 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and a sack, while also posting five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Fifth-year tight end Sean Morris was selected to the All-Patriot League second team for the third straight year. Primarily a blocking tight end, Morris played a key role in the Crusaders' high-octane offense, while also recording a pair of receptions for 25 yards. 

Fifth-year right tackle Pat McMurtrie and senior left guard Eric Schon both become two-time All-Patriot League honorees after earning a spot on the second team this year. McMurtrie was a second-team selection in 2021; Schon earns an All-Patriot League nod for the second straight season. 

Senior cornerback Terrence Spence was selected to the All-Patriot League second team for the first time in his Crusader career. A veteran for the Holy Cross secondary, Spence tallied 52 tackles on the year, while also finishing with three TFLs, four pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a blocked punt. 

2023 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
Defensive Player of the Year – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year, LB
Rookie of the Year – Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr., DL
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year - John Troxell, Lafayette

2023 All-Patriot League Football First Team
First Team Offense (15)
QB: Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Jr.
RB: Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr.
RB: Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, So.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, So.
WR: MJ Wright, Fordham, Gr.
WR: Jalen Coker, Holy Cross, Sr.
TE: Mason Gilbert, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Lucas Portes, Fordham, Gr.
OL: C.J. Hanson, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Luke Newman, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Mike Barr, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: John Olmstead, Lafayette, 5th-year
PK: Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr.
RS: Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Sr.

First Team Defense (14)
DL: Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Mateen Ibirogba, Georgetown, So.
DL: Dillon Springer, Holy Cross, Sr.
DL: Blamassi Meite, Lafayette, 5th-year
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Jr.
LB: Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th-year
LB: Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, 5th-year
LB: Marco Olivas, Lafayette, 5th-year
DB: Ethan Robinson, Bucknell, Jr.
DB: Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr.
DB: Nahil Perkins, Fordham, Sr.
DB: Saiku White, Lafayette, Jr.
P: Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Jr.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS) – Max Hurleman, Colgate, Sr.

2023 All-Patriot League Football Second Team
Second-Team Offense (16)*
QB: C.J. Montes, Fordham, So.
QB: Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, So.
RB: Coleman Bennett, Bucknell, Sr.
RB: Joshua Stakely, Georgetown, Gr.
WR: Garrett Cody, Fordham, WR
WR: Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, So.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, So.
TE: Sean Morris, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate, Sr
OL: Chance Niesner, Colgate, Jr.
OL: Pat McMurtrie, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Eric Schon, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Ryder Langsdale, Lafayette, Jr.
PK: Jacob Jaworski, Colgate, Sr.
RS: Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So.

Second-Team Defense (16)*
DL: Zack Pelland, Colgate, 5th-year
DL: Claudy Robinson, Fordham, So.
DL: Ibri Harrell, Georgetown, Jr.
DL: Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr.
DL: Dean Colton, Lehigh, 5th-year
LB: Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Jr.
LB: Tyler Flick, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Christian Sweeney, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Sr.
DB: Stephen Williams II, Fordham, Sr.
DB: Rashon Adams Jr., Georgetown, Jr.
DB: Jaden Dugger, Georgetown, So.
DB: Terrence Spence, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, So.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr.
STNS: Will Kessler, Georgetown, Sr.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross football team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossFB | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossfb | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Football | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross