Mingo and Parker Headline All-MSFA Awards for Taylor
UPLAND, Ind. – The Mid-States Football Association announced its All-Mideast League Team on Thursday, with Taylor's Aaron Mingo repeating as the MSFA Mideast League Coach of the Year and Nathan Parker being selected as the MSFA Mideast League Offensive Player of the Year.
The honors for Mingo and Parker highlighted a pile of All-MSFA nods for the Purple and Gray, as the Trojans hauled in 19 postseason honors from the MSFA.
Joining Mingo and Parker in garnering attention were First-Team All-MSFA selections Jack D'Arcy, Hayden McDonald, Alex Boothby, Thad Thoman, Reese Pinckney, Reid Messer, Carter Loveless and Jake Halderman, Second-Team All-MSFA standouts Nathan Munson, Brody Crosby, Caleb Ranzau, Grady Stanley and Maverick Brown and Honorable Mention All-MSFA performers Ethan Albert, Treyton Keele and Aidan Zimmer.
Mingo was voted the MSFA Mideast League Coach of the Year for a second-straight season, after leading the Trojans to a 7-4 overall mark and a 4-1 clip in league play. Under Mingo's guidance, TU posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2009 and 2010, while tallying 16 total wins for the program's top two-year mark since 1998 and 1999.
Looking deeper into the statistics, Mingo saw his squad break the program records it set one year prior with 48.5 points per game and 503.9 total yards of offense per game this season. TU ranked fifth in the NAIA in those stats, while also ranking second with 304.9 rushing yards per game, third with 28.0 first downs per game and 14th with 28 total sacks. Additionally, Taylor scored at least 35 points in all 11 games and ended the season among the NAIA's best at plus-10 in turnover margin, highlighted by only two lost fumbles in 589 rushing attempts.
A major force in those standout statistics was Parker, as the second-year running back powered the Trojan attack all season with 1,360 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 210 carries and only one fumble lost on the way to earning MSFA Mideast League Offensive Player-of-the-Year and First-Team honors. The Silver Lake, Indiana native finished the season with the most rushing scores in a season in TU's history and the third-highest single-season rushing total. Along with leading the MSFA Mideast League, Parker ranked third in the NAIA in rushing touchdowns, fourth in rushing yards and fourth in scoring with 126 points.
D'Arcy was named to the MSFA Mideast Leage First-Team for his first all-league recognition with the Trojans. The senior led TU with 28 receptions, 543 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
TU's dominant offensive line was heavily represented on the All-MSFA Team, with McDonald and Boothby being named First-Team, Crosby earning Second-Team honors and Keele being named an Honorable-Mention performer. The postseason awards were the first for McDonald, Boothby and Keele, with Crosby repeating his 2024 All-MSFA nod. As a unit, the TU offensive line paved the way to over 440 yards of offense in 10-of-11 games, with six games of over 300 rushing yards and nine games with at least 200 yards on the ground.
Thoman was selected as a First-Team All-MSFA defensive end for his first postseason nod after recording 40 tackles, 8.0 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles during his senior campaign. Thoman ranked 21st in the NAIA and fifth in the MSFA Mideast League with 6.5 sacks.
Pinckney also collected his first postseason honor as a First-Team All-MSFA defensive back. The senior corner racked up 60 tackles, 2.5 hits for negative yardage, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, while leading the MSFA Mideast League and ranking 19th in the NAIA with 10 pass breakups.
Messer was selected as an All-MSFA Mideast-League safety for the second-straight year. The junior earned First-Team honors this time around after posting 51 stops, one interception and five pass breakups in the TU secondary.
Loveless took home a second-straight All-MSFA nod as TU's primary punter, earning First-Team honors for the first time. The senior ranked 17th in the NAIA with 37.2 yards per punt over 22 attempts and stuck eight of those tries inside the 20-yard line.
Halderman rounded out Taylor's group of 11 First-Team All-MSFA performers, being selected as the league's top long snapper. The all-league nod is the first for the junior special teams ace.
Munson was named Second-Team All-MSFA, following his Honorable Mention selection as a freshman last season. The sophomore tight end had five of his 14 catches result in touchdowns to rank seventh in the MSFA and led the Trojans with 26.0 yards per reception.
Ranzau was named a Second-Team All-MSFA defensive end for the first postseason accolade of his career. The senior had 35 tackles and ranked fifth in the MSFA Mideast League with 11 hits for lost yards and sixth with 5.5 sacks.
A pair of sophomore linebackers earned attention as Second-Team All-MSFA standouts for TU, with Brown and Stanley taking their first all-league awards after ranking first and third on the squad in tackles. Brown ranked seventh in the MSFA Mideast League with 66 tackles to go with two interceptions and Stanley ended 11th in the MSFA Mideast League with 54 stops to go with a trio of picks.
Albert was named an Honorable Mention All-MSFA Mideast League running back after carrying the ball 115 times for 615 yards and 12 touchdowns. The sophomore ranked 12th in the NAIA and second in the MSFA Mideast League in rushing scores, while ending fourth in the MSFA Mideast League with 55.6 rushing yards per contest.
Zimmer rounded out the list of honors for Taylor, earning Honorable Mention status during his third year with the Purple and Gray. The wide receiver ranked second on the squad with 25 catches and 47.6 receiving yards per outing.
RV Taylor (7-4, 4-1 MSFA) is set to return 15-of-22 starters for the 2026 season, including 11 returning All-MSFA performers. That group will be highlighted by returning First-Team All-MSFA selections, Parker, McDonald, Boothby, Messer and Halderman.