Harold Fannin Jr. Makes HIstory

As fans, we had the privilege of watching something special this year.  I've been waiting to do this post until all the results were in, but it's time.  Harold Fannin is the most honored player in the history of our program, and we have a great tradition.  We have had other players on a consensus All-American team....but he's the first consensus All-American in school history for football.

As he moves on to NFL (one assumes), I want to thank him for being a Falcon and for being (by all accounts) a good teammate and embodying what it means to be a Falcon.  The national recognition is deserved, and we know that when you are from a small school, you have to really earn it to get by the P4 gatekeepers.

He has made history with this program and he will not be forgotten.

A Remarkable Season by the Numbers

It was truly a season for the ages:

• 1,342 receiving yards, second in the nation and just 11 yards shy of breaking the FBS single-season record for tight ends.
• 100 receptions, placing him third all-time for a single season by a tight end.
• 9 touchdowns, leading all tight ends nationally.
• 31 broken tackles, setting a Pro Football Focus (PFF) record for tight ends across its 11 years of grading.
• A PFF overall grade of 95.9, the highest of any college football player in the nation this year.

Fannin’s performance was not only statistically dominant but also game-changing. His 137-yard receiving performance against Penn State, a defense that hadn’t allowed a single player over 100 receiving yards all season, is emblematic of his ability to rise to the occasion. Similarly, his 145 receiving yards against Texas A&M represented the most any player achieved against the Aggies this season.

A Trailblazer for Bowling Green

Fannin’s Consensus All-American honor places him in elite company—not just nationally but within Bowling Green’s history. The only other BGSU athlete to earn consensus All-American status was men’s basketball star Wyndol Gray in 1945. Gray, a fellow Northeast Ohio native, helped lead the Falcons to the NIT final before playing professionally for the Boston Celtics.

As BGSU fans, we’ve watched Harold Fannin Jr. grow from an under-recruited high school athlete to one of the most dominant players in college football. Fannin has elevated the program’s profile and shown potential recruits what can be accomplished at Bowling Green and with this staff. In a larger sense, universities exist to develop people into their best selves, and Harold Fannin did what he did HERE.  It matters.

A Season of Awards and Accolades

Fannin’s accolades go far beyond his Consensus All-American recognition. This season, he was:

• The MAC Offensive Player of the Year and winner of the Vern Smith Leadership Award, making him the first tight end in FBS history to win a conference’s overall Player of the Year award.
• A finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.  (I saw somewhere that it is far from uncommon for the dopes who give the award to be out of step with the broad consensus of the All-American teams.
• The only tight end to be a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, typically reserved for wide receivers.

Fannin leaves an indelible mark on college football and sets his sights on what’s next. Whether it’s breaking the FBS receiving record for tight ends or showcasing his talents at the next level, there’s no doubt that he's just getting started.

As BGSU fans, we honor his contributions to the program and eagerly await what the future holds for him.

Harold, thank you for making history and for showing the world what it means to be a Falcon!