Four Husker Football Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletic Communications

Four members of the University of Nebraska football program were honored Tuesday afternoon, as they were named to the 2023 Academic All-District® Football teams, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Isaac Gifford, Malcolm Hartzog, Marco Ortiz and Brian Buschini were all chosen for their performance on the field and in the classroom. All four are first-time honorees. To earn academic all-district honors, student athletes must be starters or significant contributors and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Gifford, a management major, started all 12 games for the Blackshirts and led the Huskers with 86 tackles in 2023. An All-Big Ten selection, Gifford ranked second on the team in pass breakups (eight) and totaled 6.5 tackles for loss and an interception. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, he graduated over the weekend and will begin work on a master’s degree.

Hartzog, a criminology & criminal justice major, started at both safety and cornerback for the Huskers in 2023. He totaled 40 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and had six pass breakups this past season. He has played in every game the past two seasons and has 18 career starts for the Huskers. In the classroom, he was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree this fall and was on the NU scholar-athlete honor roll in 2022.

Both Gifford and Hartzog were instrumental in Nebraska’s defense ranking in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense in 2023.

Buschini, who is currently working on a master’s degree in construction engineering and management, has been the Huskers’ starting punter for the past two seasons. In 2023, Buschini averaged 40.7 yards per punt, including a season long 60-yarder at Minnesota, and placed 20 of his 57 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line. Last season, opponents returned just 19 of his 57 kicks. Buschini, who began his career at Montana, was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2023 and has been on the NU Scholar-Athlete honor roll in each of his first three semesters at NU.

Ortiz, who graduated with a master’s degree in applied science last weekend, was one of the nation’s top long snappers in 2023.  He was one of three finalists for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is presented annually to the top long snapper. Ortiz handled over 100 special team teams snaps without an error in his lone season at NU. The Florida transfer was on the NU Scholar-Athlete honor roll in his first semester as a Husker.

For more information about the CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.