July 15, 2025
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Allstate and the America Football Coaches Association announced Tuesday a record-breaking 197 nominees for the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, the highest in the award's 34-year history. College football student athletes and head coaches from all levels of the sport are recognized for their commitment to community service and leadership beyond the gridiron.
"I've been a part of this team, and these players aren't just showing up, they're standing out," said Sam Acho, ESPN analyst, former NFL linebacker, author and 2010 Good Works Team member and Allstate Wuerffel Trophy recipient. "Their commitment to service creates lasting change and inspires the next generation."
Cole Paulson, a 5-foot-9 senior linebacker from Pipestone, Minn., was nominated to the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® award for Dakota State (S.D.). He earned NAIA and conference academic awards for his success in the field.
Paulson finished the 2024 season with 26 tackles (15 solo, 11 assists) for the Trojans. He also had five tackles-for-loss of six yards. He added two pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
Paulson had volunteered many hours off the football field for the Trojans. He was a volunteer huddle leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes South Dakota Camp in the Black Hills. In addition, Paulson was a volunteer referee for Special Olympics basketball at Hamlin High School in Hayti, S.D.
He volunteered his time in numerous DSU sports camps, high school basketball classics, rodeo event, and food drive at the Madison Downtown Armory. He bowled with the Special Olympics athletes for the Madison Area All-Stars Special Olympics event.
The final roster of 23 awards recipients will be announced in September. Eleven players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II, III, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and one honorary head coach.
A voting panel of former Good Works Team members, head coaches, and journalists select the team roster based on outstanding leadership on and off the field.
