FARGO, N.D. -- Six Montana Tech football players collected All-America honors, and Kyle Samson earned the NAIA coach of the year award as Victory Sports Network announced its postseason accolades Monday. 

Seniors Tel Arthur, Jacob Graves, and Levi Torgerson all made VSN's first team, senior Payton Gonser was a second-team selection, and graduate student Derek Pearse and sophomore Jarrett Wilson earned honorable mentions. 

Arthur, a linebacker from Missoula, led Montana Tech and ranked seventh in the NAIA with 105 tackles on the season. He also made 7.5 tackles-for-loss, two of which were sacks, broke up three passes, and forced a fumble. The Frontier Conference East Division defensive player of the year was a second-team AFCA All-America selection. 

Graves, an offensive lineman from Kuna, Idaho, highlighted a front line that helped Montana Tech rank in the NAIA's top 10 in a handful of statistical categories. He was named the Frontier East offensive lineman of the year and earned All-America laurels from the Associated Press. 

Torgerson, a receiver and return specialist from Great Falls, plastered his name all over the Oredigger record books in 2025, setting 10 school records and leading the country with 103 receptions and 1,370 receiving yards. The Frontier East player of the year was also a first-team All-American in the AFCA and AP awards slates. 

Gonser, a safety from Great Falls, ranked second on the team in tackles (68) and pass breakups (10) while intercepting a team-high three passes. 

Pearse, a tight end from Post Falls, Idaho, caught 27 passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns while also serving as a prolific blocker for the Orediggers' run game. 

Wilson, a quarterback from Polson, enjoyed a breakout season in his first year as Tech's starter, leading the NAIA in completion percentage (74.3) and pass efficiency (197.1) on his way to Frontier East offensive player of the year accolades. He threw for 2,845 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 537 yards and six more scores. 

All six were first-team all-conference selections. 

Samson, the Frontier East and AFCA Region 5 coach of the year, guided Montana Tech to an unbeaten regular season, the most wins in program history (12), and the program's first conference championship since 2016. 

The VSN NAIA Football team is compiled by Jason Dannelly of the Victory Sports Network, an online outlet covering small-college athletics. Nominations are automatically taken from First Team selections from the All-Conference teams in the NAIA. Input on the selections comes from coaches, SIDs and media members around the NAIA. The final selections are made by Dannelly. 

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