Cleveland Reporter

Notre Dame College football continues to accumulate the awards for the work on and off the field. On Tuesday, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced six Falcons were named to the Academic All-District® team, the most in program history. Dominic Buttazzoni, Carson Heidecker, CJ Kiss, Nathan Moore, Davonte Murray and Reece Perkins were the honorees from NDC. (Release)

In program history, the second largest number of Falcons listed by the CSC was four, in 2016.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in late December.

Moore is the only player listed from NDC who has been named to multiple Academic All-District teams in his career. The senior linebacker is making his third appearance, moving into a tie with Mitchell Shegos and Tanner Harding for the most in program history. Moore graduated with a degree in business management and had a GPA of 3.96. He is currently working on his MBA at Notre Dame. The native of Rootstown, Ohio has already been named Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, All-MEC First Team and a Harlon Hill Trophy nominee in 2022. In the NCAA Division II rankings, Moore is tied for 6th with 122 total tackles and is also tied for sixth with 70 solo tackles. In the Mountain East Conference, he ranks second in tackles, second in solo tackles and is tied second with 15 tackles for loss. This season he became the career leader at NDC in solo, assisted and total tackles and took over the program record for most solo tackles in a season. He currently sits in third place in MEC history for career tackles.

A senior who has been given this Academic honor for the first time, is Dominic Buttazzoni. He graduated with a business administration degree and held a GPA of 3.55. He is currently in the MBA program. Buttazzoni was named to the All-MEC Second Team as a punter, this season. He ranked second in the MEC with a 39.1 average yards per punt, which is third in NDC single season history. This season, he was tied for second in the MEC with six punts of 50 or more yards. He has punted for over 6,770 career yards, with an average of 38 yards per punt, ranking second and fourth in those categories at NDC, respectively. He has pinned the opponent inside their own 20-yard line, 53 times in his career, while booting 18 punts over 50 yards.

Heidecker is a sophomore with a 3.81 GPA as a criminal justice major. He started every game this season on the offensive line and was awarded by being named to the All-MEC First Team. Heidecker was a part of a line that blocked for an offense that averaged 31.5 points per game. The NDC offense ran for 1,734 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Kiss is currently holding a 3.79 GPA as an integrated social studies major. As a tight end on the field, Kiss was given All-MEC First Team honors after the regular season. He was tied for first on the team with four touchdown catches, including one in the NCAA Division II Playoff game against Ashland. Throughout the season, he caught 20 passes for 198 yards, including a season high five receptions for 55 yards in a win over Fairmont State.

Murray, a sophomore, is a sports management major with a 3.72 GPA. He finished the year tied for second on the team, and in the conference, in tackles for loss, with 15. He also ranks in the top-30 in Division II in that category. The native of Detroit, Mich. had 3.5 tackles for loss in two separate games and recorded at least a half sack in six of the first seven games of the year. He was tied for sixth on the team in total tackles.

A management information systems major, Reece Perkins holds a GPA of 3.76. Perkins, also a tight end, was named All-MEC Second Team this year. The John Glenn High School product finished second on the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (367) and receiving yards per game (30.6). He was tied for third on the team with three receiving touchdowns.

The 2022 Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field or court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. 

Original source can be found here.