The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 2 of the 2026 football season. Ferris State quarterback Wyatt Bower (Offensive Player of the Week), Davenport defensive back Zack Pappadakis (Defensive Player of the Week) and Roosevelt kicker Sean Sample (Special Teams Player of the Week) received recognition.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wyatt Bower, Ferris State
Ferris State University sophomore quarterback Wyatt Bower led the nation’s top-ranked Bulldogs to their 33rd consecutive win, accounting for three touchdowns in a hard-fought 28-14 win on Saturday night at #9 Central Washington. Bower completed eight-of-15 passes for 172 yards and produced a game-high 124 yards rushing with three scores on 20 carries in the victory. He had the lone second half touchdown in rainy conditions on a 43-yard run to push the margin to two scores and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. His play helped the Bulldogs improve to 3-0 overall with all three wins coming against teams that reached the D2 Playoffs a year ago and were picked to win their respective conferences this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Zack Pappadakis, Davenport
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Zack Pappadakis (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Davison HS) had a major role in the 19-12 win over No. 17 (AFCA) Indianapolis on Saturday. It was the highest-ranked opponent that the Panthers have defeated in NCAA Division II. Pappadakis had a career-high 11 tackles (six solo), which included 1.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards. He helped limit the Greyhounds to 10 total yards in the first half and made eight tackles in the opening 30 minutes of action. UIndy finished with 95 rushing yards, the third opponent held under 100 rushing yards by the DU defense this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sean Sample, Roosevelt
Sean Sample is the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week after converting all eight extra points and making a 39 yard field goal in Roosevelt’s win over Southwest Baptist on Saturday. Sample and the Lakers kicking team were working with a backup holder, but did not miss a beat in converting all nine kicks. The freshman from Minooka, Ill. has made all 18 extra point attempts this season and has hit six of eight field goals as well.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Cephus Harris (Davenport), Braden Hill (Saginaw Valley State), Steven Moore (Roosevelt), Kellen Reed (Grand Valley State)
Defense: Jalen Edwards (Saginaw Valley State), Tyrone Fowler Jr. (Ferris State), Torian Wyatt (Grand Valley State)
Special Teams: Mathew Bacik (Grand Valley State), Ian Jenkins (Davenport), Eoin O'Sullivan (Ferris State)
