FORT WORTH, Texas – University of Dayton running back Levi Moell has been named the 2025 winner of the 2025 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Coordinated by the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl staff, the Armed Forces Merit Award was created in June 2012 "to honor an individual and/or a group with a military background and/or involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football."
A redshirt junior from West Liberty, Ohio, Moell served four years in the Marines after a standout high school football career, choosing military service over college as an 18-year-old. He joined the Flyer football program in 2022. This season he has battled through an ankle injury to return to the travel squad and has seen action in three games. He has eight carries for 41 yards (5.1 yards per carry).
Moell is a Health Science major who plans to go into the strength and conditioning field after graduation. He has been named to the Pioneer Football League Academic Honor Roll three times.
Brant Ringler, executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, and Bill Bender, FWAA President and The Sporting News national college football reporter, were part of the selection process.
"When the bowl staff created the award, our main goal was to honor individuals with a military background who have an impact on their team and school," Ringler said. "In reviewing the supporting documents for Levi's nomination, he is the individual who has created a lasting impact on his team."
Bender added, "While Levi does not have the statistics on the field, his numbers add up off-the-field with his teammates and coaches. I am impressed by comments about Levi serving as a team leader in showing the younger players the ropes in an area where he was getting on-the-job training for his chosen field."
"Levi came to our football program as a try-out walk-on," Flyer head coach Trevor Andrews said. in "The years on the team that followed, I'm sure, did not feel like an easy path, but he has always persevered. His positive attitude and self-confidence never wavered, which in turn created an 'iron sharpens iron' mentality within his position group. I have seen his work ethic and dedication rub off on our younger players, and I feel our football team has benefited more from Levi Moell than he has benefited from being a part of our team."
UD running backs coach Mark Ewald refers to Moell as a "servant leader."
"Levi has had a unique journey to get to this point. As he approaches graduation, marking the end of another chapter in his life, he is enjoying the camaraderie, the process, and the competition. He is a selfless, elite teammate. Speaking as a coach who has 47 seasons under his belt, Levi is what epitomizes the victories of the coaching calling."
Previous recipients of the Armed Forces Merit Award are Nate Boyer of the University of Texas (2012), Brandon McCoy of the University of North Texas (2013), Daniel Rodriguez from Clemson University (2014), Bret Robertson of Westminster College (Fulton, Mo., 2015), Steven Rhodes from Middle Tennessee State University (2016), Kansas State University (2017), Dr. Chris Howard from Robert Morris University (2018), Army West Point assistant coach Mike Viti (2019), Collin O'Donnell of Bluefield College of Virginia, (2020), Damien Jackson of the University of Nebraska (2021), the Paris Johnson, Jr. Foundation (2022), Tyler Huff of Furman University (2023) and Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., the Chancellor of Troy University (2024).
Dayton is 6-3 overall and tied for third in the Pioneer Football League with a 4-2 PFL mark. UD is one game behind Drake in the league with two games to play. The Flyers host the first-place Bulldogs this Saturday on Senior Day. Kickoff is at 12 noon ET.