TROY, N.Y. – Senior Patch Flanagan was named the Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year and head coach Jon Drach and his staff were recognized as Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year to complement 16 members of the Union College football team earning All-Conference honors, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The team's 16 All-Conference players are tied for the most in a season since 2019 and tied for the sixth-most in a season since the start of the Liberty League in 1995. Twelve of the team's 16 representatives are first-time selections, while three are two-time honorees and one is a three-time All-Conference performer.
 
Flanagan is the sixth player in program history to earn conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and the first Union quarterback to earn the honor since Ben Gilbert '02 in 2000. The senior accounted for a conference-best 25 touchdowns on the season, passing for 1827 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 891 yards and 10 scores. He enters the postseason as the conference leader in passing TDs while ranking second in rushing yards and third in both rushing TDs and passing yards, and is the first Liberty League player since at least 2006 to finish top-three in both rushing and passing yards in a season. He is also one of seven quarterbacks in Division III this season with at least 15 scores through the air and 10 on the ground, helped by eight games of two TDs or more and five games with at least three scores.
  
Drach is the third Union mentor to be recognized as conference Coach of the Year and the first to do so in his first two years with the program. Under his leadership, the Garnet Chargers have engineered the second-largest turnaround in Division III this season, improving from a 3-7 record in 2024 to an 8-2 record and the program's 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in year two. Union completed the program's fourth undefeated conference slate (and only second 7-0 finish) and ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.
 
Union had six players named to the All-Conference first team, three on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Flanagan was joined on the first team by senior offensive tackles Nick Olivola and Kyle Webster, who have anchored a line that produces over 174 rushing yards and almost 370 total yards per game. Olivola is a three-time All-Conference honoree, having improved each season from honorable mention as a sophomore and second team as a junior.
 
The Garnet Chargers had an All-Liberty League first-teamer on all three levels of the defensive unit. Senior Charlie Johnson held down a first-team slot on the defensive line after recording 38 tackles, including five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while sophomore linebacker John Droggitis earned his first All-League honor after leading the team with 71 tackles to go with four tackles for loss and four pass breakups. Senior Matt Mitchell anchored the defensive backfield with 21 tackles and a team-leading seven pass breakups to join Johnson as two-time All-League honorees.
 
Union placed three members on the All-Liberty League second team. Senior David Cooperstein joined his classmates on the offensive line after a solid season in run and pass blocking from the center position, while classmate Gil Rivera was recognized after hauling in a team-best 43 passes for 573 yards and five touchdowns, ranking fourth in the conference in receptions and fifth in both receiving yards and touchdowns. On the defensive side, junior lineman Daniel O'Leary tied for fourth on the team with 53 tackles, including four sacks and a conference-best 16 tackles for loss.
 
Union rounded out their All-Conference squad with seven honorable mentions, including five on the defensive side of the ball. Junior Jordan Black and sophomore Logan Miller both made the team on the defensive line after tying for the team lead with 4.5 sacks apiece, as Black ranked fourth on the team in tackles (53) and Miller finished in sixth (46). Juniors Dwayne Hinds and Lucas Coleman represent the linebacking corps, with Hinds' 60 tackles second-best on the team and Coleman breaking up six passes to go with 38 tackles and two sacks. Senior Ryan Grenier also made the list after leading all Union defensive backs with 54 tackles and tying for the team lead with two interceptions.
 
In addition, sophomore guard Jack Beacham and classmate Francesco Pileggi were recognized on offense and special teams, respectively. Pileggi currently ranks sixth in the conference in scoring with 48 points, thanks to a 6-of-7 effort on field-goal attempt and a 30-of-32 mark on extra points.
 
Union's 16 All-Conference players will look to extend their season even further on Saturday when the team heads to Allentown, Pa., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Muhlenberg College.