NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL WRITERS NAME 2025 SEASON AWARD RECIPIENTS

Players and coaches from conference champions and national statistical leaders dominate the 2025 New England Football Writers annual awards list. 

Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig is the recipient of the Harry Agganis/Harold Zimman Award as the outstanding player in New England. Craig, a senior, is the all-time passing leader at Harvard. He led the Crimson to a 9-2 record which included an Ivy League shared title and an at-large bid earning Harvard its first ever trip to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Tournament.

The Season Gold Helmet Awards to the most valuable player in each Division were earned by players that are nationally ranked in their respective Divisions. Curry College senior Montie Quinn, a running back, was the selection in Division II/III. Quinn ranks first in rushing among all NCAA Divisions with 2,446 yards.

Joe Fagnano, graduate student quarterback from the University of Connecticut is the University Division recipient. Fagnano is third in the nation in passing yards with 3,448 over 12 games, and is fourth in FBS with 28 touchdown passes.

The Jack Grinold Division I Coach of the Year Award goes to Tony Reno of Yale. Reno led Yale to a share of the Ivy League title and captured the Ivy’s first ever automatic bid taking Yale to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

CJ Scarpa of Bentley University is the recipient of the Division II/III Coach of the Year award. In his first year at the helm of the Falcons, Scarpa led Bentley to a 7-4 record, the Northeast 10 title and a berth in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.

The Jerry Nason Award to the senior football player in New England who has succeeded in football against all odds goes to Yale University offensive lineman Michael Bennett. Yale finished the regular season in a tie for the Ivy crown.

Long-time Bentley University athletic communications professional Dick Lipe is the recipient of the George Carens Award to the person who has made significant contributions to football in New England. Lipe has been at Bentley for 51 years and has won numerous awards for his work with football at Bentley and throughout the region.

All the award recipients were honored at the New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts of the National Football Foundation on Thursday, December 11, at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center.