In what was a historic 2025 campaign for Virginia Union star running back Curtis Allen, he adds another monumental achievement to his resume, being named the winner of the Harlon Hill award.
An award that is Division II football’s equivalent of the Heisman trophy, Allen becomes the first HBCU player to ever win the Harlon Hill trophy in its 39-year history.
Allen finishes with 193 total votes, beating out Harding running back Andrew Miller and University of Indianapolis quarterback Gavin Sukup, each tying for second-place with 101 votes.
This breaks a 10-year streak of quarterbacks winning the award, becoming the first running back to hold this distinction since 2013.
Allen rewrote the record book in the CIAA, setting new marks for rushing yards in a season (2,409) and rushing touchdowns in a season (30).
This accounts for the fifth-most rushing yards by a Division II player in a single season, becoming the first to rush for over 2,400 yards in a season since 2018.
He rushed for over 100 yards and at least one touchdown in every game this season, surpassing 200 yards four times, scoring a combined 14 rushing touchdowns in those games.
This included a CIAA single-game record 369 rushing yards against Bluefield State, breaking the previous record set by former Winston-Salem State star Richard Huntley in 1994 (361).
In addition to winning the Harlon Hill trophy, Allen has also been named CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, Super Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year, and selected to the AFCA Division II All-American First Team.
Despite falling short of a CIAA championship three-peat, Virginia Union was selected to the Division II playoffs for the fourth straight season, becoming one of five active schools to accomplish this feat.
