LOGAN, Utah — Utah State senior placekicker Dominik Eberle is one of 137 college football players from across the country nominated for the 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, it was announced Tuesday by the Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association.
Eberle joins former Aggies Jacoby Wildman (2015-19), Jontrell Rocquemore (2015-18), Travis Seefeldt (2012-16), Chuckie Keeton (2011-15), Eric Moats (2009-11) and Geno Odong (2007), who were also nominated for the award. Keeton was one of 22 players named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and represented Utah State at the 2015 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Eberle is one of 78 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He is one of six Mountain West players on the list, joining Air Force's Isaiah Sanders, Boise State’s Kole Bailey, Colorado State's Adam Prentice, Eugene Ford of Hawaii and Nevada's Lucas Weber.
Furthermore, Eberle is one of three players from the Beehive State to make the list, along with BYU's Uriah Leiataua and Utah's Terrell Burgess.
Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has brought together a select group of college football players from across the country to honor their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others. While players are often recognized for their accomplishments and achievements on game day, these student-athletes have made significant contributions to the greater good of society, inspiring future generations of young athletes and the larger college football community.
The student-athletes nominated embody the true spirit of teamwork and selflessness, donating their limited free time to helping and serving others. From founding a nonprofit that helps orphans secure jobs in the workforce to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominees may wear different jerseys on the field, but they all exemplify a superior commitment to giving back off of it.
Comprised of 11 players from the FBS and 11 players from the Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA, the final roster of 22 award recipients will be unveiled in September.
Eberle, a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Nuremberg, Germany (Redondo Union (Calif.) HS), earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors from the league’s coaches and third-team all-MW honors from Phil Steele’s Magazine after serving as the team’s placekicker in all 13 games as a junior. He was also named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top placekicker in 2018 as he set a single-season school record by scoring 141 points. For the season, he was 22-for-28 on field goals and 75-for-75 on extra points, setting the school record for PATs made and attempted in a single season. He also set the single-season school record for points per game (10.8), which ranked fourth nationally.
Eberle had the best game of his career against New Mexico State during his junior season as he tied the NCAA record for points scored by a kicker with 24, and 50-yard field goals made in a single game with three.
Eberle also earned third-team All-America honors from Phil Steele's Magazine, honorable mention All-America honors from SB Nation and first-team all-Mountain West honors, along with being named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award as a sophomore in 2017, as he finished the season scoring a team-best 101 points as he was a perfect 47-of-47 on extra points and 18-of-24 (.750) on field goals.
Heading into his senior campaign, Eberle ranks second all-time in school history in field goals made (43) and fourth all-time in field goals attempted (57) and is third all-time in field goal percentage (.754). He has also scored 251 points in his career to rank fourth all-time in school history, including third all-time among kickers and is the only player in school history to have four or more 50-yard field goals in a career.
Along with being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Eberle has also been named a preseason fourth-team All-American by Athlon Sports and preseason second-team all-Mountain West by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s Magazine.
Off the field, Eberle has twice earned academic all-Mountain West honors as he will receive his bachelor’s degree from USU this academic year in international business and marketing. He also spends countless hours working with various groups/organizations on campus and in the community.
Utah State will open the 2019 season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Wake Forest and begins its home season the following weekend against Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 7. Mountain West play begins for USU two weekends later at San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 21.