Wheaton, Ill. - Wheaton College quarterback Mark Forcucci has been named as one of 15 semifinalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, an award presented by Stearns Bank and the J-Club of Saint John's University (Minn.) to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after John Gagliardi, the legendary Hall of Fame head football coach at St. Johns, who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history at the time.

Forcucci is the fifth Wheaton player to be a semifinalist for the award, joining running back Giovanni Weeks (2023), quarterback Will Bowers (2022), linebacker Eric Stevenson (2018) and offensive lineman Matt Snebold (2015). Forcucci is a senior Business/Economics major at Wheaton.

This season, Forcucci has passed for an efficient 2,716 yards with a 69.5% passing completion, a rate currently tied for 13^th in the nation. Forcucci is also third in the country in passing efficiency with a number of 194.7.  Additionally, his 31 passing touchdowns are tied for the sixth-highest mark in Division III. He recorded five games of four or more passing touchdowns in a single game, eclipsing six touchdowns in Wheaton's final conference matchup against North Park, tied for a Thunder single-game record. The senior quarterback was not afraid to air it out this season, his 15.26 passing yards per completion is the tenth-highest mark in Division III. His offensive efforts have also led the Thunder offense to seventh in total offense in Division III with 46.8 points per game.

This season Forcucci has moved into 10^th all-time in Wheaton history in career total offense and career passing yards, garnering 5,518 total yards of offense and 5,366 passing yards in his time with the Thunder. His 70.6% career completion percentage (min. 300+ attempts) is second all-time in Thunder history and is first all-time among quarterbacks with at least two seasons with the Thunder.

The Gagliardi Trophy national-selection committee is comprised of 18 Division III coaches (three from each NCAA Region), six Division III administrators (one from each region), 12 regional notable voters (two from each region) and six national voters with Division III backgrounds. A fan vote, which runs until Dec. 15, will be live soon on D3football.com. No J-Club members vote as part of the national-selection committee.

The Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be announced during a live show at 4 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 18, on D3football.com. Host Pat Coleman will profile the finalists during the program. The 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship game. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy winner, D3football.com will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement.