Accolades continue to roll in for the Most Valuable Player of the Northeast-10.
Bentley University’s Salvatore Lupoli Jr. (Chelmsford/Phillips Andover) was named a Division II All-American First Team honoree by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
A graduate linebacker, Lupoli is Bentley’s first AFCA First Team All-American since 2007, when offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau received the honor. Bernadeau was subsequently drafted by the Carolina Panthers and inducted into Bentley’s Hall of Fame.
Lupoli’s record-setting 2023 not only included conference MVP honors, but he was also named to the All-Super Region 1 First Team, and he was nominated for the Harlon Hill award for the NCAA D-II Player of the Year.
The former Big Blue star led all NCAA D-II players in tackles per game (12.3) this season. Lupoli tied a school record with 123 tackles — a total that was more than twice as many as the next NE10 player. He also had a conference-leading 12.5 tackles for a loss. Lupoli’s 337 career tackles are the most in school history.
Lupoli was scheduled to speak at the New England Football Writers banquet Thursday night (Dec. 7), where he was to formally receive the Gold Helmet award for best college football player (NCAA D-II/III) in New England.
He recently received an official invitation to the Trillion FCS Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida. That game hosts NFL scouts.
Lupoli anchored a Bentley defense that ranked second in the nation for total defense with just 232.7 yards allowed per game. The Falcons’ scoring defense ranked fifth in NCAA D-II, yielding only 13.8 points per game.