Football Has 10 Named All-Ivy

By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com

Linebackers Liam Johnson and Ozzie Nicholas led the Ivy League's top-ranked defense this fall, so it was fitting that the duo also shared First-Team All-Ivy League honors for the 2023 season. The co-captain pair were two of the 10 All-Ivy League honorees for Princeton, it was announced Tuesday by the league office.

Jalen Travis and Nasir Hill both earned second-team honors, while Nick Hilliard, AJ Barber, Luke Colella, Jack DelGarbino, Will Perez and Brady Clark each earned honorable mention.

Nicholas put together one of the most dominant defensive seasons by a Princeton player this century. He recorded 104 tackles, matching the most by any Tiger football player since Zak Keasey recorded 127 stops in 2004. While Nicholas was a dominant run stopper throughout the season, he also terrified quarterbacks in the pass game. He finished fourth in the league with 4.5 sacks; no other player in the Ivy League Top 25 in tackles could match that total.

Nicholas, the only unanimous first-team selection among any Ivy League defender, will now await the announcement of the Bushnell Cup Defensive Player of the Year finalists. He made quite the statement in his final home game, recording a career-high 15 tackles and a sack in a double-overtime showdown against Yale.

If Nicholas does claim the Bushnell Cup, he would join some elite Princeton company, including his teammate and fellow co-captain, Johnson. The 2022 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, Johnson repeated on the All-Ivy First Team after ranking fourth in the Ivy League with 83 tackles, and he averaged nearly 10 per game over Princeton's final three weeks, including 11 at Dartmouth. He had three sacks on the season, including one apiece against both Harvard and Yale.

"Liam Johnson and Ozzie Nicholas both had terrific years leading a defense that was ranked at or near the top nationally of every major statistical category," head coach Bob Surace said. "Even with less snaps because of the number of short series, Ozzie led the Ivy League in tackles & Liam was fourth. Both were disruptive on the field. Off the field, they are both captains, tremendous students and exceptional leaders."

Travis was limited for portions of the season due to injury, but he was dominant at left tackle when he returned late in the season. While he was injured throughout most of October, Princeton averaged 17.8 points per game; in November, the Tiger offense averaged 26.7 points per game.

Hill, a starting safety for the Tigers, was one of only three underclassmen to earn either first- or second-team All-Ivy League honors on the defensive side of the ball. He finished third on the team and 12th in the Ivy League with 62 tackles, and he finished third in the league with three interceptions, including two in the victory at Penn. Hill also had an interception in the home victory over Harvard, and he posted double-digit tackle efforts against both Brown and Yale.

Hilliard was a consistent presence at right guard for Princeton over the last two seasons for Princeton, and he started all 10 games during his senior season. Colella ranked sixth in the Ivy League in both receptions (47) and receiving yards (620), and he finished third in touchdown receptions (six). Barber wasn't far behind on the opposite side of the offense; he finished eighth in receptions (42) and seventh in receiving yards (582), and he added three touchdowns of his own.

DelGarbino led all Princeton defensive linemen with 29 tackles, a Top-25 total in the Ivy League, and he had a career-best 10 tackles in his final career home game against Yale. Perez had 36 tackles despite dealing with late-season injuries; he had nine tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in the home opener against Brown. Clark, one of three freshmen to earn All-Ivy recognition this season, averaged 39.2 yards per punt and had the second-most 50+ yards punts on the season (nine).

"I'm so proud of all our honorees," Surace said. "Jalen Travis was the top-rated offensive lineman in the country by PFF before sustaining a major injury, and I'm still in awe of how well he performed the last four games while compromised. Nick Hilliard also had a terrific year in his first year as a starter. AJ Barber and Luke Colella were both in the top seven in nearly every receiving category. On defense, Nasir Hill was third in the Ivy for total tackles as a DB and also tied for 3rd in interceptions. Jack DelGarbino had the 3rd most tackles for a DL, and mostly as a head-up nose tackle, which is remarkable. Will Perez played at a first-team level for six weeks before missing almost the entire last four games due to injury. Brady Clark had an outstanding freshman year, including 24 punts inside the 20 yard line."

Surace also noted the impact of one player who did not earn All-Ivy recognition.

"Lastly, there a few guys that weren't voted in, but I want to mention [quarterback] Blake Stenstrom." he said. "Talking to NFL scouts nearly every day at practice, there are varied opinions of what traits they want in a quarterback, so I don't lose much sleep over award voting. But his decision making, accuracy, ability to create and clutch play — in 40% of our games he led late drives in the 4th quarter or overtime that either took the lead or tied the game — were truly outstanding."

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