2025 AF1 Award Finalists

As Week 14 came to a close, so did the 2025 regular season for AF1. Although only four teams will compete for this year's Arena Bowl, there is still more hardware to be given out. The end of the year awards are upon us, and we're pleased to announce the three finalists for each award. 

Check out each of the finalists and how we got to this point. 

MVP Finalists

Sam Castronova (QB - Albany)

There is perhaps no surprise that one of the MVP nominees is the starting quarterback from the #1-seeded team. That's especially true given the fact that Albany waltzed through the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. 

It's not just the success of the team that got Castronova to this stage, though. He was lights out during the season, tossing a league-leading 48 touchdown passes. If there is a knock that could cost him this award, it's that he finished well off of the lead in terms of passing yards. He put up 1735, which put him in third place overall - a whopping 677 yards behind the leader. Given that he got pulled from more than one blowout, he should still be considered the odds-on favorite. 

Duane Brown (WR - Albany)

Castronova isn't the only player from Albany who put up gaudy numbers. Duane Brown was also a league leader and a deserving finalist for the MVP award. 

Chief amongst his accomplishments in the 2025 season was his touchdown numbers. Of the 48 touchdown passes that Castronova tossed, 30 of them landed firmly in the hands of Brown. That accounts for 62.5% of the touchdowns that his fellow finalist had. On top of that, he was just seven receiving yards off the league lead, which could again be accounted for by taking it easy in some of their many blowouts. 

While he balled out this year, having his quarterback in the same category might make it hard for him to take home the prize. 

Jalen Morton (QB - SW Kansas)

Jalen Morton took a different route to this spot than his fellow finalists. While the other two put up big numbers in the air, it was Morton's work on the ground that penciled him into this spot. From the quarterback spot, he ran 17 into the end zone this year. He also put up a league-leading 488 rushing yards. 

However, he wouldn't be here without some numbers in the air as well. His 2,314 passing yards were good for second in the league, just 98 yards behind the leader. 

Despite the dual threat setting Morton apart, you have to imagine the 10-0 record of Albany might be hard to overcome. 

Arena Football One Announces Football Award Finalists

Rookie of the Year Finalists

Josiah King (RB - Corpus Christi)

The Tritons' Josiah King put together a solid rookie campaign to earn this nomination. Over nine games this season, he posted 119 rushing yards. He also managed to take two of those rushes to the house for a total of 24 points on the year. King also got a bit of action through the air. He snagged 11 passes for 88 total yards. 

While these numbers might not look like enough on their own to be in this spot, that's because it doesn't take into account his defensive or return work. On the defensive side of things, King snagged 12 tackles to go along with a fumble recovery. In the kicking game, he returned two balls to the house and averaged 12 yards per return. 

The mixture of attack from all areas should make him an intriguing option here. 

Dalton Cole (QB - Oregon)

Oregon quarterback Dalton Cole is much more of a straightforward option when it comes to this award. Oregon struggled early in the season and found themselves down in quite a few contests. As a result, Dalton had to be the one to put the team on his shoulders and attempt a comeback. As a result, he put up big numbers all over the offensive side of things. 

In the air, he led the league in passing yards. His 2412 outpaced even the MVP candidate in Jalen Morton. He threw for 41 touchdowns, which was second to MVP frontrunner Sam Castronova. Additionally, he was second in the league in rushing yards, only just behind the aforementioned Morton in this category. He also trailed Morton by just one rushing touchdown with 16 total. 

Jalen Morton (WR - SW Kansas)

We've already outlined the aspects that made Morton's season so special. He's a fine mixture of the two other Rookie of the Year finalists. He has plenty of the big offensive numbers that you might look for, while also putting up numbers in a diverse way. 

As an MVP finalist as well, you'd have to imagine this is his award to lose. 

Offensive Player of the Year Finalists

Dalton Cole (QB - Oregon)

While he may not be a finalist for MVP, the ridiculous numbers posted by Cole might be best suited for this category. In the prior category, he most likely took a hit due to the fact that Oregon's late season rally didn't lead to a playoff spot. However, it's impossible to ignore a guy who finished in the top two of all the major categories for quarterbacks when it comes to Offensive Player of the Year. 

Jalen Morton (WR - SW Kansas)

Morton, similarly, might be better suited for this category than the MVP run. While SW Kasnas did find their way into the postseason, it's gonna be hard to dethrone a guy who led his team to a perfect season. Morton, meanwhile, nearly finished in the top two of all the same categories as Cole. The only exception was that he finished third in passing touchdowns. However, he did lead more categories than Cole did. 

Duane Brown (WR - Albany)

Although the two quarterbacks led their team and plenty of stat categories, Brown gets a chance at an award with his teammate out of the way. The leadership that is likely to sway an MVP vote could harm Brown, but in this category, that shouldn't matter. What should matter is being the only receiver to snag more than 90 yards per game. The 30 touchdowns shouldn't hurt either. 

Defensive Player of the Year

Ezekiel Rose (DL - Albany)

It's no surprise that we see a Firebird on this list as well. Not only did they steamroll teams on the offensive side of the ball, but they were plenty stingy on defense as well. Over ten games, they allowed just 276 points to opponents, which was 110 fewer than the next best defense. 

A lot of that was due to Rose, who gummed up the middle and kept opposing quarterbacks on their toes. He totaled 12 sacks on the year, which put him second in the league. He also managed 15 tackles for a loss, which again kept teams off the board. His game of the year came in early May when he put three sacks on the #2-seeded Nashville Kats to go along with three tackles for a loss. 

Kerry Starks (MAC - Salina)

Salina put the pedal to the metal late in the season and managed to walk away with the last playoff spot. Their defense was undoubtedly a big part of that, and nobody played a bigger role on that side of the ball than Starks. 

His seven sacks might lag behind Rose's, but he was also much better at forcing some turnovers. He forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass as well. His work threatening quarterbacks and keeping wideouts off the board makes him a finalist for this category. 

Michael Lawson (DB - SW Kansas)

If Starks gets some props for starting turnovers, you have to give a lot more to Lawson. He was Mr. Takeaway for the Storm this year, shortening drives of opposing teams every week. 

When all was said and done, he posted six interceptions and took two of them to the house. He also forced seven fumbles, recovering four of them himself, one of which went for a score. Add in a league-leading 82 tackles, and he has to be the favorite from a pure numbers standpoint. 

Coach of the Year

Damon Ware (Albany)

Coach of the Year is typically not an easy award to break down. What more is there to say about Ware after he led the Albany squad to a perfect season? He's consistently lauded by opposing coaches for his moves and schemes, and should definitely be the clubhouse leader for this one. 

Darren Arbet (Nashville)

Perhaps the most likely to be able to shock Ware and wrangle the award away from him is Arbet. Nashville came out of the gate 0-2 and looked to be dead in the water. Arbet made some adjustments and catapulted his squad up to the #2 seed. He did so without having a single player nominated for an end-of-the-year award, which is worth noting. 

Gary Thomas (SW Kansas)

SW Kansas had a different start to the season from Nashville. Thomas and gang got out of the gate to a quick start, winning in weeks 0 and 1 to start 2-0. That early-season work got the Storm to a #3 seed, but back-to-back losses to end the year cost them a home game. 

Assistant Coach of the Year

Terry Foster (Nashville)

If it's hard to handicap coach of the year, assistant coach of the year isn't any easier. 

However, if we're going to talk about how the Nashville Kats got to this point, you have to talk about their defense. Under Foster, they were second in the league in points allowed

Brandon Sesay (Albany)

It's not easy to pinpoint what made Albany the force that they were this year. They outscored everybody and barely allowed any points en route to a perfect 10-0 record. However, with a defense that allowed just 27.6 points per game in the high-scoring AF1, you have to credit defensive coordinator Brandon Sesay. 

Jason Scheck (SW Kansas)

The stinginess of the defenses were the rationale for the first two finalists, it was the ability to get takeaways that land Scheck on this list. His defense was big at getting the ball back when his offense needed it most. While they gave up a few more points, the chances they took are what marked this defense as special and got them to the playoffs. 

Arena Football One Announces Football Award Finalists

Don't forget to watch the AF1 playoffs. The first game kicks off this Saturday at 7pm EST, which the Albany Firebirds host the Salina Liberty. That game will be available on EVERGREENNOW. The second semifinals matchup takes place on Sunday at 5:30pm EST. The Nashville Kats will host the SW Kansas Storm for a shot at the Arena Bowl. That game is available on Vice TV.