NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State senior linebacker Mason Kaplan was named as one of 175 nominees for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, as announced by Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Monday.
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team recognizes college football student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional commitment to community service, academics and athletics. Established in 1992 and presented by Allstate since 2008, the program honors players who use their platforms to strengthen communities and support causes important to them.
Last year, Kaplan was honored with one of the most prestigious academic honors bestowed by the NCAA, earning the NCAA FCS Football Elite Scholar-Athlete Award which is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships. An MVFC All-Academic First-Team selection and National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society member, Kaplan ranked third on the team with 81 total tackles, including 32 solo stops, and was credited with six pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two interceptions, two sacks and 6.5 TFLs on the season.
The Peachtree Corners, Georgia, native tallied six games with six tackles or more, including nine in the regular season finale against Southern Illinois. He recorded a pair of interceptions in the first-round FCS playoff win at Southeastern Louisiana for the Redbirds, and later had seven tackles and a tackle for loss in the second round FCS playoff win at North Dakota State. He finished the season strong, as he recorded a sack and five tackles in the FCS National Championship game against Montana State.
In addition to his work on the field and in the classroom, Kaplan served as the President of the ISU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during the 2025-26 school year. In that role, he helped promote communication between athletics administration and student-athletes and provided feedback and insight into athletics department issues on behalf the student-athletes. He also helped build a sense of community within the athletics program involving all athletics teams.
He has also been busy in the community during his time at ISU, volunteering his time in writing pen pal letters to local elementary school, assisting with several Illinois Special Olympics events including the Summer Games, Plane Pull and Polar Plunge, holding book readings at Towanda Elementary School, and serving at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast.
The 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be announced in September and include 22 student-athletes and one honorary head coach. One student-athlete will also be selected as team captain and receive the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy. A selection panel composed of former Good Works Team members, college football coaches, journalists and other leaders connected to the award reviews nominations from across the country. Voters evaluate candidates based on the breadth and depth of their community service, demonstrated leadership, academic achievement and the measurable impact they have had on the people and causes they serve. The panel then selects 11 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players (FBS), 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) ranks, and one honorary head coach.
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