Wednesday, November 29, 2017
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

SAINT LOUIS, Mo.– San Diego senior nickelback Max Michaels was named the 2017 Pioneer Football League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Wednesday, leading a group of 50 student-athletes named to the 25th annual Academic All-PFL Teams, as selected by the league’s athletic communications directors.

Michaels, of Poway, California, is majoring in accountancy at the University of San Diego and has posted a 3.95 grade-point average during his academic career. In addition to being named the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, he earned his third consecutive First-Team Academic All-PFL selection

The College Sports Information Directors of America recognized Michaels as a Second-Team Academic All-American™ in 2016 and he is an Academic All-America nominee again in 2017 after being named a CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection for the second consecutive year. In addition, the National Football Foundation named Michaels a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy®.

On the field, Michaels finished the regular season leading USD in tackles as the Toreros reached the Division I Football Championship for a third consecutive season and won their first-round contest for a second-straight year. He currently has 69 stops in 12 games this season and has eight tackles for loss. Michaels also has four passes defensed this season, including an interception. He has helped pace a San Diego defensive unit that is ranked second among FCS programs in scoring defense, second in red zone defense and fifth in rushing defense.

A group of four student-athletes have joined Michaels as three-time Academic All-PFL honorees. Dayton senior quarterback Alex Jeske, Dayton senior running back Tucker Yinger and Dayton redshirt senior linebacker Jack Crain.

In addition, four student-athletes appear as first-team honorees for a second consecutive year: San Diego junior quarterback Anthony Lawrence; Drake senior defensive tackle Nathan Clayberg; Drake fifth-year defensive end Tanner Evans and Dayton junior safety David Leisring.

The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Academic All-America™ program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Fifteen PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Academic All-District Teams® this fall.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league’s outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.