The race for the Gagliardi Trophy is heating up as Division III football moves deeper into the 2026 season.
With standout quarterbacks and skill-position players continuing to build their cases, Week 6 offered another opportunity for contenders to strengthen their cases for the award.
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The Gagliardi Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division III football. Quarterbacks have dominated the conversation so far, with Mike Rescigno of SUNY Cortland Football, Garret Wilson of North Central, Jaxon Schreiber of Mount St. Joseph and Cooper Drews of Bethel (MN) among the names to watch.
Caleb Romano of Geneva College, Tyler Green of Denison, Scott Ballentine of DePauw, Brady Kelly of Coe College and Cole Crotty of Johns Hopkins also remain part of the discussion.
Who Impressed In Week 6?
Caleb Romano, Geneva
Romano delivered one of the week's biggest offensive performances, helping Geneva defeat Hiram College Football 55-19. The quarterback completed 25 of 27 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns while throwing no interceptions.
Romano also ran for a touchdown as Geneva scored 35 unanswered points after Hiram took an early lead. His efficient performance reinforced his place among the players worth monitoring in the Gagliardi Trophy race.
Jaxon Schreiber, Mount St. Joseph
Schreiber helped Mount St. Joseph earn a 42-36 win over Franklin Football in a game that featured plenty of offense and a dramatic finish.
He completed 21 of 32 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Mount St. Joseph secured the victory with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter after Franklin had taken a brief lead.
Schreiber's passing production and ability to keep Mount St. Joseph in a back-and-forth contest make him an important name to follow as the season continues.
Cooper Drews, Bethel
Drews helped Bethel secure a 63-0 blowout win over Augsburg Football in Week 6, throwing for three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground.
He completed 17 of 25 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Drews also rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown as Bethel's offense produced five rushing touchdowns in the victory.
His dual-threat production gives him another strong performance to build on as the Gagliardi Trophy race develops.
Brady Kelly, Coe
Kelly and Coe turned in a convincing performance against Central College Football, earning a 31-13 victory.
Coe's offense dominated on the ground with 315 rushing yards, while Kelly efficiently managed the game with 117 passing yards.
The convincing win highlighted how a top contender can completely control a matchup even when relying on a heavy run game rather than flashy passing statistics.
Garret Wilson, North Central
Wilson faced a difficult test against Wheaton College Illinois, which handed North Central a 13-10 loss.
Wilson completed 12 of 22 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, while a relentless Wheaton defense bottled up the Cardinals on the ground, holding North Central to just 36 total rushing yards as a team.
While the result was a setback for North Central, Wilson remains an established name in this year's Gagliardi Trophy conversation. How he responds in the coming weeks will be worth watching.
Gagliardi Trophy Contenders To Watch In Week 7
Mike Rescigno, Cortland
Rescigno remains a leading name to follow in the Gagliardi Trophy race. As the season progresses, continued production and wins in conference play will be important factors in his case for the award.
Jaxon Schreiber, Mount St. Joseph
After throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns in Week 6, Schreiber enters the next round of games with momentum. Another productive outing could help him keep pace with the other leading quarterbacks in Division III.
Cooper Drews, Bethel
Drews' ability to contribute through the air and on the ground makes him a compelling player to watch. Bethel's next matchup offers another opportunity for him to show how much he can influence the offense.
Caleb Romano, Geneva
Romano's five-touchdown passing performance was among the most impressive individual showings of Week 6. The next challenge is sustaining that level of efficiency as Geneva moves through its schedule.
Tyler Green, Denison, And Scott Ballentine, DePauw
Green and Ballentine remain part of the broader group of quarterbacks making their cases for Division III's top individual honor. With conference play continuing, each week brings an opportunity to add another defining performance to their resumes.
Cole Crotty, Johns Hopkins
Crotty offers a different profile in a race often led by quarterbacks. The Johns Hopkins receiver has been a key part of his team's passing attack, making his production worth tracking as the season moves forward.
The Gagliardi Trophy Race Is Far From Over
Week 6 brought standout performances from Romano, Schreiber, Drews and Kelly, while the loss for Wilson showed how quickly the conversation can shift in a competitive Division III season.
With several weeks remaining before postseason play, the contenders still have time to separate themselves from the field. Big performances, consistency and team success will all matter as the Gagliardi Trophy race continues into Week 7 and beyond.
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