Twenty SUNY Cortland football players earned a total of 23 Empire 8 all-conference awards, and head coach Curt Fitzpatrick and his assistant coaches were named the league's Coaching Staff of the Year, for the 2024 season.
 
Senior quarterback Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) was a repeat selection as the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year. Senior defensive end Nick Lardaro (St. James/Smithtown East) was chosen as the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year and senior kicker/punter Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) was named the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Year
 
In all, 11 Cortland players earned 13 first-team all-league awards. One of those players, Baloga, also picked up a third-team honor at punter, while senior Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) earned three different first-team honors - at wide receiver, all-purpose player and return specialist. Five Red Dragons were named to the all-league second team and five, including Baloga, earned spots on the third team.
 
The Cortland coaching staff was recognized by the league for the fourth straight year. Fitzpatrick is assisted by Patrick Rotchford, Steve Cushing, Nolan Foley, Paul Shaffner, Kyle Gallagher, Taj-Amir Torres, Joe Mack, Bill Spicer, Mike Conners and strength and conditioning coach Phill Wiltshire - the same exact coaching staff as in 2023.

In addition, Fitzpatrick is a repeat selection as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Region 1 Coach of the Year. He is one of five coaches honored in Division III. The AFCA uses different labels for their five regions than the NCAA does for its six regions, of which Cortland is in Region 2.
 
Cortland finished the regular season with a 10-0 record, including a 7-0 mark to win its fourth straight Empire 8 title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. The defending national champion Red Dragons earned a bye into the second round of the newly expanded 40-team NCAA tournament and will host either Endicott College or Alfred State College on Saturday, Nov. 30, at noon.
 
Senior wide receiver Andrew Tarpey (Sparkill/Tappan Zee) is Cortland's representative on the Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year Team. One member of each conference school is chosen for that honor. The Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission, and that the honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.

Cortland's All-Empire 8 selections are as follows:
 
FIRST TEAM

Name (Hometown/High School),Year, Position
Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West), Sr., Quarterback
Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach), Sr., Wide Receiver
Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach), Sr., All-Purpose
Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach), Sr., Return Specialist
Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall), Sr., Kicker
Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley), So., Running Back
Cody Aikey (Canandaigua/Canandaigua Academy), Sr., Offensive Line
Ryan Bitka (Amherst/Amherst), Sr., Offensive Line
Aidan Glynn (Miller Place/Miller Place), Jr., Offensive Line
Nick Lardaro (Smithtown/Smithtown East), Sr., Defensive Line
Max Llewellyn (Sayville/Sayville), Sr., Defensive Line
Jack Winey (Lindenhurst/Lindenhurst), Sr., Linebacker
Nazair Jean-Lubin (Freeport/Freeport), So., Defensive Back

SECOND TEAM

Name (Hometown/High School), Year, Position
Jayden Lont (Cornwall/Cornwall), Jr., Offensive Line
Connor Mahunik (Auburn/Auburn), Sr., Tight End
Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist), So., Wide Receiver
Jaden Martinez (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue), Sr., Linebacker
Ryan Isom (Levittown/MacArthur), Jr., Defensive Back
 
THIRD TEAM

Name (Hometown/High School), Year, Position
Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall), Sr., Punter
Matt Ferrer (South Salem/John Jay), Sr., Defensive Line
Junius Keys (Queens/Eagle Academy), Sr., Defensive Line
Ellis Einbinder (Brighton/Brighton), Jr., Linebacker
Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker), So., Defensive Back
 
Previous All-Empire 8 honors:

Boyes - 2023 Offensive Player of the Year, 2022 First Team
AlfanoStJohn - 2023 First Team (RB), 2022 First Team (RB), 2021 First Team (RB)
Aikey - 2023 First Team, 2022 Second Team
Bitka - 2023 First Team, 2022 Second Team
Lardaro - 2023 First Team, 2022 First Team, 2021 First Team and Rookie of the Year
Llewellyn - 2023 First Team, 2022 Third Team
Winey - 2023 First Team
Baloga - 2023 Second Team (K)
Martinez - 2023 Third Team
 
Statistical highlights, to date, for each of Cortland's all-league selections follows:
 
Zac Boyes
10 games played/started, 176-of-249 passing (70.7 percent), 2,529 yds., 25 TD, 1 interception, 188.3 passing efficiency rating; 84 rushes, 512 yards, 6 TD
 
Nick Lardaro
10 games played/started, 36 tackles (16 solo), 3.5 sacks (21 yds.), 9.5 total tackles for loss (38 yds.), 4 pass breakups, 18 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble
 
Mike Baloga
10 games played/started, 7-8 field goals (long 43), 61-63 PAT, 82 points; 77 kickoffs, 60.9 yds./kickoff, 29 touchbacks; 19 punts, 39.9 yds./punt (long 50), 5 inside the 20
 
Jaden AlfanoStJohn
10 games played/started, 47 receptions, 933 yds., 12 TD; 10 rushes, 159 yds., 3 TD; 9 kickoff returns, 27.9 yds./return (long 100), 1 TD
 
Ethan Gallo
10 games played/9 started, 183 rushes, 1,014 yds., 20 TD; 11 receptions, 86 yds.

Cody Aikey, Ryan Bitka, Aidan Glynn, Jayden Lont
Aikey, Bitka, Lont each 10 games played/started; Glynn 9 games played/started; team is averaging 50.5 points and 530.5 total offensive yards per game (238.0 rushing, 292.4 passing, 5.7 yards per rush)
 
Max Llewellyn
9 games played/started, 31 tackles (13 solo), 2.5 sacks (22 yds.), 4.5 total tackles for loss (30 yds.), 1 pass breakup, 8 QB hurries, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble
 
Jack Winey
10 games played/started, 68 tackles (22 solo), 1.5 sacks (12 yds.), 4.0 total tackles for loss (18 yds.), 2 pass breakups, 7 QB hurries
 
Nazair Jean-Lubin
10 games played/started, 15 tackles (10 solo), 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups
 
Connor Mahunik
10 games played/8 started, 2 receptions, 21 yds.
 
Jayson Zeva
10 games played/9 started, 45 receptions, 582 yds., 5 TD, 1 rush, 11 yds.
 
Jaden Martinez
10 games played/started, 78 tackles (35 solo), 3.0 sacks (13 yds.), 5.5 total tackles for loss (18 yds.), 1 pass breakup, 4 QB hurries, 3 forced fumbles
 
Ryan Isom
9 games played/started, 27 tackles (17 solo), 2.5 total tackles for loss (12 yds.), 4 pass breakups
 
Matt Ferrer
7 games played/started, 20 tackles (8 solo), 2.5 total tackles for loss (7 yds.), 1 interception, 5 QB hurries
 
Junius Keys
10 games played/started, 40 tackles (7 solo), 1.0 sacks (9 yds.), 2.5 total tackles for loss (16 yds.), 5 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovery
 
Ellis Einbinder
10 games played/started, 51 tackles (21 solo), 0.5 total tackles for loss (1 yd.), 3 interceptions, 2 pass breakups
 
Anthony Luciano
10 games played/started, 38 tackles (21 solo), 0.5 total tackles for loss (1 yd.), 7 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery