Ryan Receives Freshman of the Year & All-America Honors from the Don Hansen Football Committee
WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University wide receiver Austin Ryan (Foxborough/Foxborough HS) has been honored as the 2017 Freshman of the Year by the Don Hansen Football Committee and was also recognized with selection to the 2017 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America first team following his outstanding rookie season.
The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of longtime small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen started and published Don Hansen's National Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988.
The awards are the latest that Ryan has received since the end of the season four-and-a-half months ago. The list includes Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Northeast-10, New England Football Writers Division II-III All-New England, D2CCA All-Region second team and Don Hansen's Super Region 1 Freshman of the Year.
The six-foot, 185-pounder hauled in 49 passes in ten games with 16 of those going for touchdowns. He averaged 25.2 yards per carry while totaling 1,237 receiving yards, the third highest single season total in Bentley history.
Ryan, the only freshman included on the All-America first team, shared the Division II lead in touchdown catches and also finished the season third in Division II in yards per reception and fifth in receiving yards per game (123.7). No NCAA football player, regardless of division, had more TD catches during the 2017 season.
Ryan closed out the season with a school-record 284 receiving yards and four touchdowns in a 35-31 upset of then-undefeated Assumption College. That was the Falcons' second win of the season over a team ranked in the top ten and gave Bentley a 6-4 final record.