Canadian defenseman Nikola Markovic and forward Marcus Caldeira are among 15 semifinalists for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college football player in the United States.
The 15 are taken from a 31-player midseason watch list that also included University of Portland forward David Ajagbe, a native of Surrey, British Columbia.
The three finalists will be announced on December 17 after voting by NCAA Division I coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. The winner will be announced on January 9th at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Markovich, a six-foot-four, 205-pound sophomore from Gatineau, Que., was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and also earned All-Conference and All-Region honors.
Markovic won gold with Quebec at the 2022 Canada Games and joined CF Montreal's academy at 18, spending a year and a half there.
Wolfpack offensive lineman Donovan Philip, the ACC offensive player of the year, was also named a Hermann semifinalist.
The two helped NC State win the NCAA College Cup for the first time since 1990 and for only the second time in program history. The No. 15 Wolfpack, the highest-seeded team remaining in the tournament, will face St. Louis in a semifinal game Friday in Cary, North Carolina.
Caldeira was named Sun Belt Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team. The six-foot-two, 193-pound senior from Mississauga, Ont., has 42 goals and 15 assists in 84 games over four seasons with the Mountaineers.
As a senior, he scored a career-high 14 goals, and his 42 career goals rank third in West Virginia history.
Ohio State's Michael Adedokun won the Hermann Trophy last year, and North Carolina's Kate Faass was named top women's player.
Edmonton's Amanda Gloire, a Tanzanian-born forward, won the men's award in 2020.
Amanda, who is five feet 10 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds, spent time in the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program before enrolling at Oregon State. As a child, he played for Edmonton Extreme, Edmonton Internationale and the Edmonton reserve team.
Amanda currently plays in Australia for the Sydney Olympic Football Club.
Akron's Teal Bunbury received the award in 2009. The son of former Canadian national team player Alex Bunbury, Teal has lived in the United States since he was 10 years old and has represented the United States internationally.
The women's award was won by Canadians Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia 2016) and Christine Sinclair (Portland 2004 and 2005).
Semi-finalists of the Hermann Trophy men's tournament
Richie Aman, forward, Washington; Palmer Ault, forward, Indiana; Mitchell Baker (Australia), forward, Georgetown; Marcus Caldeira (Mississauga, Ont.), forward, West Virginia; Junior Diouf (Senegal), forward, Grand Canyon; Ransford Guyan (Ghana), linebacker, Clemson; Niklas Herzeg (Germany), goalkeeper, Vermont; Diego Hernandez, linebacker, Furman; Lasse Kelp (Germany), defenseman, Maryland; Nikola Markovic (Gatineau, Quebec), defenseman, North Carolina State; Donovan Phillip (St. Lucia), forward, North Carolina State; Agustin Resch (Argentina), defender, Seton Hall; Nick Simmonds, forward, Virginia; Slade Starnes, guard, SMU; Zach Zenge, linebacker, Georgetown.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.
