LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright Lindsey and Jennings, LLP, have announced the 48 nominees for the 10th Annual Cliff Harris Award and among the 48 nominees from Division II is CSU Pueblo redshirt junior defensive back Daniel Bone III (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek).
 
Bone III repeated as a First-Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection and was a Second Team D2CCA All-Super Region 4 selection this season after tying for the ThunderWolves' team lead in tackles with 84, including tallying a team-best 50 solo stops. In addition, Bone recorded eight tackles for a loss, 3.5 quarterback sacks, two interceptions, recovered three fumbles, forced one fumble and had one pass break-up.
 
On the season, Bone's 7.6 tackles per game were tied for fourth-best in the RMAC, while his 4.5 solo tackles per game was sixth-best in the RMAC and his three recovered fumbles was tied for tops in the league and second nationally in Division II. The Preseason Division II All-American had three games with double-digit tackles, including a high of 16 tackles in the Pack's 28-3 win at Chadron State.
 
During the 2023 regular season, Bone was named an RMAC Defensive Player of the Week two times and through three seasons playing with the Pack, he has recorded 152 total tackles, including 90 solo stops, and has had 11 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, picked off eight passes, had nine pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
 
The Cliff Harris Award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division II and NAIA colleges and universities. A prestigious selection committee made up of former college and pro football greats will select the winner. In addition to the Cliff Harris Award overall winner, the top vote getter from each division will also be announced.
 
This year's Cliff Harris Award recipient for NCAA Division II will be announced on December 28, 2023, and will be honored as the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual award banquet on Friday, January 12, 2024. The winner will receive the $3,000 Cliff Harris Award presented by Cliff Harris.
 
Among the previous winners of the Cliff Harris Award are former CSU Pueblo defensive end Darius Allen, who won the award in 2014. In addition to Allen, other winners include Pierre Desir from Lindenwood University, Marqui Christian from Midwestern State, Connor Harris from Lindenwood University, Michael Joseph from Dubuque, Corey Ballentine from Washburn University, Kyle Dugger from Lenoir-Rhyne University and last year's winner, Caleb Murphy from Ferris Sate University.
 
In addition to Allen winning the award in 2014, the Pack have had a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award seven times as Allen was a finalist for the award in 2013, while current San Diego Charger defensive lineman Morgan Fox was a finalist in 2015. Brandon Payer and Darius Williams were finalists in 2017, while Payer was a finalist in 2018, Jackson Wibbels was a finalist in 2019 and Trey Botts was a finalist in 2022.
 
For the story of Cliff Harris, go to CliffHarrisAward.com and read about his his amazing journey from an overlooked high school player from tiny Des Arc, Arkansas, and one scholarship offer to then NAIA Ouachita Baptist University, to five Super Bowls, six Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020.  
 
Listed below are the 48 nominees from Division II for the 2023 Cliff Harris Award.