GLIAC -- The 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football postseason awards have been announced after voting conducted by the league's coaches. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jared Bernhardt // Ferris State
Ferris State University senior quarterback Jared Bernhardt has had a spectacular season for the nation’s top-ranked Bulldogs, leading FSU to an unbeaten regular-season and the GLIAC Championship. Bernhardt, who was the nation’s top men’s lacrosse player on the NCAA Division I level at Maryland last spring, has ranked among the top playmakers in the country, rushing for 995 yards and 16 scores from the quarterback position while also throwing for 1,105 yards in only seven games. He’s completed 72.3% of his passes and thrown for nine scores, accounting for 25 total TD’s this year for the Bulldogs, who earned yet another NCAA playoff berth and the top seed in Super Region Three. The signal caller has been tabbed as the GLIAC’s Offensive Player of the Week five times this season and also garnered D2Football.com National Player of the Week laurels after accounting for seven touchdowns in his Ferris State debut in week one. He’s averaged nearly nine yards per carry and ranks among the nation’s statistical leaders in several categories for the Bulldogs, who have been ranked near the top of Division II all season in both scoring and total offense.

OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Tommy Scott // Saginaw Valley State
Tommy Scott led the SVSU backfield in 2021 with 187 carries for a career-high 1,044 yards, playing in all 11 games for the Cardinals. He rushed for 12 touchdowns and had a long of 89 yards, setting a new career best. Scott, from Muskegon, Mich., ranked first in the GLIAC in total rushing yards and was second in rushing touchdowns. His 5.6 yards per carry was fifth best in the conference. Scott closes his SVSU career with 2,680 yards rushing, ranking fourth on the Cardinal all-time list.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Dylan Pasquali // Ferris State 
Ferris State University senior offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali has been the leader of one of the nation’s top units this fall, helping FSU win a third consecutive GLIAC Championship while finishing regular-season play unbeaten for the third year in-a-row. The four-year starter and three-time all-conference choice has paved the way for a Bulldog offensive attack that has ranked among the country’s top scoring offenses this fall. His play has helped FSU generate an average of 45.3 points and 508.7 total yards per game, both of which led the GLIAC. Pasquali has played both right and left tackle this season and is a Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award nominee. The veteran standout, who was a Preseason All-America choice by numerous sources, has served as a team captain and is a strong candidate to earn both all-region and All-America honors yet again in his stellar collegiate career. During his career, he’s helped the Bulldogs make four national quarterfinal appearances, three trips to the D2 National Semifinals and a berth in the 2018 Division II National Championship game.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Caleb Murphy // Ferris State 
Ferris State University sophomore defensive end Caleb Murphy has had an impressive debut season for the Bulldogs, leading FSU to an unblemished regular-season record and the GLIAC Championship this fall. Murphy has compiled a league-best nine sacks for minus 77 yards in 10 games this fall, while also notching 14 tackles for loss for 92 yards. In addition, he’s forced a pair of fumbles, recorded an interception and totaled 43 stops, which ranks fourth among the Bulldogs’ defensive leaders. The standout pass rusher has helped FSU limit the opposition to only 19.2 points and 265 yards per game. Ferris State’s defensive unit has posted a shutout and held opponents to 15 points or less five times this year, including three of the last four contests. Murphy is the latest standout defensive lineman to come thru the Bulldog program, following in the footsteps of several past line standouts, including four of whom who are either on active National Football League rosters or took part in a preseason training camp this summer.

DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Nick Whiteside // Saginaw Valley State
Nick Whiteside was the standout of a talented SVSU defensive backfield which played a large part in the Cardinals leading the nation in total takeaways during the 2021 regular season. The Auburn Hills, Mich., native tied for the most interceptions in the GLIAC with four, including one returned for a big touchdown in the SVSU overtime win at Texas A&M-Commerce. He finished with 40 total tackles and eight pass breakups. In three seasons at SVSU, Whiteside has picked off 10 passes for the Cardinals.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Will Borchert  // Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan linebacker Will Borchert made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season. He quickly established himself as a defensive force for the Wildcats, posting a GLIAC-best 112 total tackles, which also ranks tied for 11th in NCAA Division II, and a 10.2 tackles per game average. Borchert recorded double -digit tackle numbers in seven games, including a season-high 15 versus Saginaw Valley State. The Mukwonago, Wis. native also registered three quarterback hits, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Borchert also earned First Team All-GLIAC honors. 

COACH OF THE YEAR
Tony Annese  // Ferris State
Ferris State University football head coach Tony Annese, who ranks as the country’s winningest active head coach regardless of level, led the nation’s top-ranked Bulldogs to a third consecutive GLIAC Championship and unbeaten regular-season this fall. Under Annese’s direction, the Bulldogs went 10-0 in regular-season play, notching their fifth championship and unbeaten finish in the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs also stretched their regular-season win streak to 38 consecutive games and have now won their last 31 GLIAC outings dating back to 2017. This fall, FSU also received its seventh consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff berth and achieved the program’s first-ever AFCA number one ranking under his leadership. The Bulldogs have ranked as both the winningest program in the state of Michigan and in all of Division II football since his arrival, compiling a 97-16 mark in nine seasons. Ferris State was the only team in the nation in Division II football to finish with an unbeaten regular-season record this fall. Overall, Ferris State has won 46 of its last 49 games under Annese counting playoff action.