Zach Zebrowski has more than made up for lost time in his first season at Central Missouri.

After spending three years mostly on the bench in Southern Illinois University’s Football Championship Subdivision, Zebrowski put together one of the best seasons by a college quarterback in any division.

He scored at least five touchdowns in nine of the Mules’ 13 games and finished the season with a Division II record of 61 touchdowns, making him only the sixth player in any class to throw at least 60 touchdowns.

The fifth-year senior enters 2024 as the reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner and Division II Player of the Year and is motivated to advance further into the playoffs after a late blocked extra point ended the Mules’ season in the second round.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Zebrowski was below average height for most of his career at East Ridge High in Woodbury, Minn. He grew six inches after his junior year and was one of the best quarterbacks in the Twin Cities area by his senior year, but didn’t attract much attention in Division I recruiting.

He was drafted first at Southern Illinois, played in just seven games in three years, and with the Salukis’ starter returning, his prospects for playing time last season were bleak. At Central Missouri, he was the No. 1 co-quarterback in the opening game at Missouri Western and spent the first quarter on the bench. He took over on the fourth possession, threw for 390 yards and five touchdowns, and ended the quarterback competition right there.

“I don’t know if I would have believed it if you told me it would happen,” Zebrowski said. “I always had faith in myself and thought I could do it if I got the chance. To get the chance and be able to take it was pretty damn cool.”

In addition to his amazing touchdown numbers, Zebrowski set a Division II record with 5,690 yards of offense, threw just five interceptions and ranked second nationally in passing efficiency.

Zebrowski said he considered transferring to a higher-league school for his final season. His father, Jim Zebrowski, is the quarterbacks coach at Kansas, but he never seriously considered that option because the Jayhawks have an established starter in Jalon Daniels.

Zebrowski said he decided to return to take care of unfinished business.

“I was always determined to come back,” he said. “If we had won a national championship, the conversation would have been different. Losing like that left a bitter taste in all of our mouths.”

Other players to watch at smaller schools this season:

QB Luke Lehnen, North Central (Illinois)

Lehnen threw 48 touchdowns and ran for 13, completing 73% of his passes and being intercepted just twice. He finished with 3,407 passing yards and 850 rushing yards. He led North Central to national titles in 2021 and 2022 and to the championship game last year. He enters his fourth year as a starter and is the favorite to become the first player in 10 seasons to win back-to-back Gagliardi Trophy honors as Division III Player of the Year.

S Tanner Volk, Central Washington

Volk won the Cliff Harris Award as the best small college defensive player and was a finalist at Harlon Hill. His 13 interceptions were the most in any NCAA division and his 124 tackles led Division II. He intercepted two passes in four games and had at least one in nine of 13 games. He enters his final season with 18 interceptions in 34 games.

DL Anthony Cikauskas, Monmouth (Illinois)

Cikauskas was the most dominant defensive player in Division III as a sophomore with 26 tackles for loss and a nation-leading 17 sacks. He had at least one sack in every game except the opener, setting a career-high 3.5 against Illinois College. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound player also forced five fumbles, intercepted two passes and blocked a kick.

RB Rontavious Farmer, St. Thomas (Florida)

Farmer’s 3,326 rushing yards over the past two seasons are the most in the NAIA. Last year, he ran 280 times for 1,773 yards (6.3 per attempt) and 26 touchdowns. He rushed for over 200 yards in three games, including 236 in a playoff loss at Keizer, Fla. The 5’9″, 185-pound Farmer rushed 254 times for 1,553 yards (6.1) and 14 TDs in 2022.

WR Austin Jablonski, Concordia (Nebraska)

Jablonski transferred to Concordia after two seasons at Nebraska. He switched from quarterback to receiver at the start of the 2022 season and led the NAIA last year with 91 catches and 113.4 yards per game. He had 11 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns and also scored a run for a touchdown against Hastings.

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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football.

Eric Olson, The Associated Press