FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 5, 2024) – Voted on by their teammates, four Northern Arizona University football players have been tabbed team captains for the upcoming 2024 season.
Head coach
Brian Wright announced in a team meeting on Wednesday morning that redshirt junior center
Jonny Bottorff, redshirt sophomore quarterback
Angel Flores, redshirt senior defensive lineman
Daniel Robledo and senior linebacker
Tommy Ellis were selected by their teammates to step into leadership roles as team captains.
Bottorff was voted a team captain for the second-straight season as is coming off a season that saw him earn second team All-Big Sky Offense honors as a center. Prior to the 2023 season, Bottorff transferred in from Missouri Western and made an immediate impact, being voted team captain and starting all 11 games at center for the Lumberjacks.
Flores had a breakout year in 2023 where he played in seven games and started the final three games of the season at quarterback. He threw for 634 yards and five touchdowns while adding 337 rushing yards and a team-high eight rushing touchdowns. Flores capped the year with a three-rushing touchdown performance in a win at Eastern Washington, adding 114 yards on the ground.
Ellis hails from Phoenix, Ariz., and has been a part of the Lumberjack defense since the Spring of 2021. In 2023, Ellis played in all 11 games and ranked second on the team with 64 total tackles. He had at least four tackles in nine games and his junior year was highlighted by his first career interception in a ranked road victory at Weber State and a fumble recovery returned for 13 yards in the season opener at Arizona. Off the field, he is a three-time Big Sky All-Academic selection and a four-time Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete.
In just his second season with the Lumberjacks, Robledo has emerged as a mainstay on the defensive line after playing in all 11 games with nine starts in 2023. The Tucson, Ariz., native joined the Lumberjacks from Missouri and he racked up 23 total tackles including 4.5 for a loss to go with three sacks.
In addition to being named team captains, the four join 12 other Lumberjacks in
PJ London,
Richard Kwete,
Tay Lanier,
Zach Lewis,
Quinlan Popham,
Kai Millner,
Ethan Kramer,
Michael Harkins,
Isaiah Gerena,
Tausagafou Ho Ching,
Jack Forsyth and
Isaiah Eastman as distinguished team leaders, also voted on by their teammates.
The Lumberjacks report for Fall Camp on July 30, a month prior to the 2024 season opener against Lincoln University on Aug. 31 at Findlay Toyota Field inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff. Tickets are on sale at nauathletics.com/buy.
