MEDFORD, MA (January 6, 2026) - Eight Tufts University players were announced as 2025-26 Academic All-District® Football Team members today, as selected by College Sports Communicators. The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Senior defensive lineman
Suleiman Abuaqel, senior offensive lineman
Dillon Armstrong, junior wide receiver
Matt Greco, senior defensive back
Ryan Saccu, senior kicker
Vaughn Seelicke, junior running back
Christian Shapiro, senior defensive back
Nate Sousa and senior linebacker
Jeff Xu are the Jumbos to receive the honor. Seelicke and Xu are recipients for the second straight year.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must carry a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale). He must also have participated in at least 90 percent of the team's games or started at least two-thirds of the team's contests. Teams are limited to eight nominees per year.
Abuaqel (international relations major), Armstrong (quantitative economics), Greco (mechanical engineering), Saccu (biology), Seelicke (economics), Shapiro (architectural studies), Sousa (biology) and Xu (biology) were members of the 2025 Jumbos whose season included a 22-20 win against conference co-champion Wesleyan University and a 41-20 victory over fourth-place Williams College.
The College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Certain Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on January 27, 2025.
See the College Sports Communicators 2025-26 Academic All-District® Football Teams
HERE (PDF).
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