Kyle Zimmerman (photo/bearcatsports.com)

Kyle Zimmerman (photo/bearcatsports.com)

Northwest Missouri State University senior quarterback Kyle Zimmerman has been named the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year for Division II Football. Zimmerman, who earlier on Wednesday was named a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, was named to the Academic All-America first team.

A Business Management major with a 3.95 GPA, Zimmerman becomes the 10th player in Bearcat football history to earn Academic All-America honors. In all, Northwest football has 15 Academic All-America accolades dating back to 1981. He joins Josh Lamberson (2005), Myles Burnside (2009) and Trevor Adams (2013) to earn the Academic All-America of the Year award, given to the sports’s top academic performer in a given season.

The 2016 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, Zimmerman has thrown for 3,242 yards on 250 completions this year with an MIAA best 35 passing touchdowns. He has thrown just two interceptions the entire season, leading the nation’s second-highest scoring offense (48.6 ppg) and second most efficient red zone offense (95.3 percent).

Earlier this season, Zimmerman set Northwest single-game records for passing touchdowns (six) and total touchdowns (seven) in a homecoming victory over Pittsburg State University Oct. 29. He has accounted for multiple touchdowns in 11-of-12 games this season.

Zimmerman has been named a finalist for the 2016 Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the Division II College Football Player of the Year. Zimmerman was one of nine student athlete finalists that was announced Wednesday morning by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee

Story courtesy–Northwest Missouri State Athletics