University of Minnesota Duluth redshirt freshman tight end Luke Dehnicke has been selected as a 2025 American Football Coaches Association Division II First Team All-American Wednesday.

The native of Andover, Minn., Dehnicke was selected as a Harlon Hill trophy nominee last month, along with earning both a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Division Offensive Newcomer of the Year award and a First Team All-Conference selection. With his selection, he now becomes the tenth Bulldog to earn the spot, joining Sam Pitz from last season.

During the season, he led the NSIC in the receiving category with 97.6 average yards per game and 14 touchdowns. He also reached the 1,000-yard career receiving mark as a redshirt freshman, where he totaled 1,074 yards in the regular season. Heading into national competition, he ranked second in the NCAA for receiving yards (1,074), third in receiving yards per game (97.6), and third in receiving touchdowns (14). His efforts had helped bring the program its 22nd overall NSIC Championship title, 13th NSIC North Division title, and enter the program's 13th NCAA II postseason appearance.

The Bulldogs completed the season with an overall 10-2 record with a 9-1 record in NSIC competition.

AFCA Teams Background: The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — FBS and FCS. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team. The AFCA added a second All-America team in 2016.

From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. A third wide receiver was added in 2024.