RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Union running back Curtis Allen made history by becoming the first player from a Historically Black College or University to win the Harlan Hill Trophy as Division II college football's player of the year.
Allen, in his only season as the Panthers' starting running back, rewrote the program's record books and captured the 39th annual award after a dominant campaign.
The senior finished 82 votes ahead of the second-place finisher and broke a 10-year streak of quarterbacks winning the honor, which is Division II's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
Allen set a new Division II single-season rushing record with 2,409 yards in just 12 games, along with a nation-leading 30 rushing touchdowns. He also broke the CIAA single-season rushing mark.
"It really sounds crazy because, you know, I really thought Jada (Byers) won last year, but I thought he was a finalist, but I thought he won," Allen said. "So for me to actually win it, that's actually kind of crazy. Because I feel like Jada could have possibly been a better running back than me. I just took what he did and did a little bit, you know better than him."
Allen also recently won the 2025 Willie Laneir Award for his outstanding performance on the field.
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