AUSTIN, Texas — Three Tusculum University football student-athletes have been named to the 2024 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 2 first team as selected by the Collegiate Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® honors for the Pioneers are Jalen Hurt, Matthew Palazzo and Ethan Stinnett.
The 2024 Academic All-District® Football team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the class room.
District 2 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Gulf South Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 90 percent of their team’s games or start in 67 percent of their contests.
Hurt, a senior tight end from Memphis, Tennessee, graduated in December with cum laude honors with his Bachelor of Science degree. He finished with a 3.82 GPA while majoring in biology and is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He is also a 2023 recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
He appeared in 10 games for the Pioneers where he recorded a pair of receptions for 19 yards including a season-long 16-yarder against Limestone. He was a member of the Beta Biology Honor Society and the Tusculum Science Club.
Palazzo, a senior quarterback from Greeneville, Tennessee, returns to the CSC Academic All-District team for a second straight year. He has a 3.83 GPA while majoring in sport management. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He is a two-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award and was a twice named a AFCA Good Works Team nominee.
On the field, he played in all 10 games including nine starts under center where he passed for 824 yards and five touchdowns. He went 64-of-120 for a 53.3 completion percentage while also rushing for 54 yards on 52 carries with a touchdown. His 90-yard touchdown pass to Corey Moraux against Anderson University is the longest in school history.
In his 22 career games at Tusculum, Palazzo passed for 2,852 yards (8th in TU history) and accounted for 32 touchdowns (24 pass, 8 rush). He went 227-for-420 for his career for a 54.0 completion percentage. His 24 passing TDs are tied for seventh in the TU record book, while his 227 completions are the ninth-most by a Pioneer. He also totaled 3,044 total offensive yards (10th in TU history) on 583 total plays (10th in TU history).
Stinnett, a senior wide receiver from Sevierville, Tennessee, has a 3.84 GPA as an exercise science major. He is a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He was a 2023 recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Last fall, Stinnett played in all 10 games where he made 10 receptions for 92 yards while also rushing the football five times for eight yards including a five-yard touchdown at UVA Wise. During his 24-game career, he accounted for 28 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced later this month.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-2025 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
