KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Brandon Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove) and Ryan Schernecke (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) captured three All-America honors apiece and five Kutztown University football student-athletes were recognized in total as the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) each announced their 2025 All-America teams on Wednesday.
 
Hile, a senior linebacker, and Schernecke, a redshirt senior offensive tackle, were named All-America Second Team by all three organizations. Redshirt junior quarterback Judd Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), redshirt senior offensive guard Billy Everitt (Abington, Pa./Abington) and redshirt junior defensive end Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) captured D2CCA All-America Second Team spots.
 
Hile, the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, was an All-PSAC East and D2CCA All-Super Region 1 First Team selection. The Winfield, Pa., native started all 15 games for the PSAC and SR1 champion Golden Bears, leading the team with 66 tackles (37 solo), while also chipping in 6.0 tackles for loss (TFL), 3.0 sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception. Hile produced 196 tackles (108 solo), 16.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in 47 career games, helping KU to three straight conference titles and national semifinals appearances in 2023 and 2025.
 
Schernecke, from Hatboro, Pa., was a national finalist and finished fifth in voting for the 2025 Gene Upshaw Award, presented to Division II's top lineman. Schernecke started all 15 games for the 14-1 Golden Bears, as KU ranked second in NCAA DII in passing efficiency (173.7), fourth in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.33), fifth in scoring offense (42.9 ppg), fifth in fewest sacks allowed (0.67) and 21st in total offense (432.8 ypg) through the national semifinals. He added one carry for a 2-yard TD. He was a three-time All-PSAC East selection with First Team honors in 2024 and 2025, and a two-time D2CCA All-SR1 pick, earning First Team recognition in 2025. Schernecke played in 48 career games, making 45 starts.
 
Novak quarterbacked Kutztown to program single season records of 14 victories, 14 consecutive victories and 645 points scored. The Harlon Hill Trophy national finalist for DII Player of the Year completed 215-of-328 passes for 3,070 yards, 31 touchdowns and just one interception. He also rushed for 547 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and seven TDs. A native of Manheim, Pa., Novak was the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year to go along with All-PSAC East and D2CCA All-SR1 First Team honors. He led the PSAC and ranked top 10 in DII in passing efficiency (174.8), passing TDs and points responsible for (228), while also ranking second in the PSAC and 10th nationally in passing yards. Novak is a three-time All-PSAC East pick that has gone 37-4 as a starter since 2023. He ranks fourth in program history in passing TDs (72), fourth in passing yards (7,313) and fifth in completions (537). Kutztown has won three straight PSAC East and PSAC championships, and a pair of SR1 titles in the last three seasons with Novak behind center.
 
Everitt joined Schernecke in anchoring Kutztown's powerful offensive line. The guard from Abington, Pa., was a constant for the Maroon and Gold, making 42 consecutive starts over the last three seasons. Everitt played in 50 games during his career, logging 43 starts, and is a three-time All-PSAC East selection (First Team: 2024, 2025; Second Team: 2023) and 2025 D2CCA All-SR1 First Team honoree. He helped KU lead the PSAC in scoring offense, rushing offense (218.9 ypg), fewest sacks allowed, team passing efficiency, first down offense and third down conversion percentage (53.4%).
 
Retter battled through an early season injury and returned to elite form in the postseason where he registered multiple sacks and TFL in all three of Kutztown's playoff victories. The Quakertown, Pa., native finished the year with 25 tackles (15 solo), 10.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a safety. Retter is a two-time All-PSAC East and D2CCA All-SR1 First Team selection and was the 2024 D2CCA Super Region 1 Defensive Athlete of the Year. In 39 career games, Retter has totaled 114 tackles (57 solo), 29.5 TFL and 21.0 sacks. He ranks third in program history for career sacks.
 
Kutztown's five All-Americans are a program single season record, surpassing the previous mark of four from 2011. The Golden Bears have had 28 First, Second or Third Team All-America selections from nationally recognized outlets since 1938.
 
Hile and Schernecke are KU's first AFCA All-Americans since punter Dean Krcic in 2021, and the program's first AP All-Americans since tight end Jack Pilkerton in 2019. The five D2CCA selections are the Golden Bears' first representatives on that organization's teams since defensive back Brian Bingnear in 2007.