AFCA All-Americans | D2CCA All-Americans

Waco, Texas----The AFCA and D2CCA announced their 2025 football All-Americans Wednesday afternoon, with a pair of Wingate Bulldogs earning recognition. Freshman wide receiver Jaylen Himes is an AFCA first team All-American, while Himes and senior offensive lineman Will Hart are D2CCA second team All-Americans.

Himes had a huge freshman season for the Bulldogs, earning first team All-SAC and All-Region accolades. He piled up 66 receptions for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 18.1 yards per catch and 99.5 yards per contest. Himes led the SAC in yards, yards per game and touchdowns. The freshman led the nation in receiving yards, ranking third in yards per game and eighth in touchdowns. Himes became the first Bulldog since 2012 to go over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. His 1,194 yards are good for third in WU single-season history, while his 11 TDs are tied for third in program history. Himes had over 100 yards in seven of his 12 games in 2025.

Hart also had a big year for the Bulldogs, picking up first team All-SAC and All-Region accolades. He was also named a finalist for the prestigious Gene Upshaw Award, going to the top lineman in all of D2 football. Hart anchored a Wingate offensive line that paved the way for a thousand-yard rusher, thousand-yard receiver and 3,000-yard passer, as the Bulldogs piled up a program-record 439 points in 2025. Wingate ranked second in the SAC in scoring offense and total offense, ranking in the top 20 in the nation in both.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 17 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.