RAPID CITY, S.D. --- South Dakota School of Mines senior football player Jake Sullivan has been nominated to the 2018 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Allstate Good Works Team announced last week. This honor will be awarded to a college football player who has displayed success on the field, in the classroom and who has been an active member in their community.

Sullivan will enter the 2018 Hardrocker football season as a 6-foot senior quarterback from Rapid City, South Dakota. He is studying Industrial Engineering.

Sullivan was not just nominated for this award because of his outstanding work in the classroom --- he is also a very important piece for the Hardrocker football team. As the captain of the 'Rockers,  Sullivan closed out the 2017 season completing 187-368 passes for 2,398 yards and threw 18 TD passes. He was also third on the team in rushing, carrying the ball 143 times for 598 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He averaged almost 60 yards a game running the ball. He was third in the RMAC for passing, averaging 239.8 yards per game.

Sullivan is involved in the community and his favorite service event is the SD Mines Football Community Service Project. It's a project that the Hardrocker football team focuses on teaching young kids in Rapid City how to play the game.

"As a long-time member of the AFCA I am ecstatic that Jake Sullivan has been recognized and nominated for one of our organization's most prestigious honors: the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker. "The nomination recognizes not only Jake's elite performance on the field of play, but reflects his commitment to his family, faith and community through countless hours of service in Rapid City and the Black Hills. A quick glance at the names and pedigree of past honorees shows that Jake is an exclusive fraternity of outstanding scholar-athletes."

There are currently 169 college football players nominated for this award. This list will be narrowed down to 22 athletes that will win the award. The final 22 will be announced in September 2018.  The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.

Sullivan and other college football players who have been nominated make it a priority to find time in their busy schedules to volunteer in meaningful ways. Of the nominees, many players dedicate time to reading, mentoring and playing sports with disadvantaged children when they are not in the classroom or on the field. Other players make frequent visits to hospitals to spend one-on-one time with ill patients. One student-athlete even went as far as donating bone marrow in order to save the life of a child in need.