Little Rock, Ark. – West Liberty University's Cam Rice, a redshirt-sophomore defensive lineman from Morgantown, West Virginia, is one of 38 athletes nationwide to be nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year. Of the 38 nominees, Rice and nine others hail from Super Region 1.

This season Rice was named All-MEC First Team, earned three MEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades, and was once named the D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week. While totaling 58.0 tackles on the year he also made his presence known in the backfield all season long as he notched 23.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks. He led DII in tackles-for-loss and tackles-for-loss per game (2.4) and is tied for 13^th in the nation in sacks per game (0.90) while tying for 17^th in the country in total sacks. He posted career-highs of 10.0 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss (three times), and 3.0 sacks during the year. In addition, he forced four fumbles, blocked two kicks, and intercepted two passes, returning both picks for touchdowns in the season finale against Wheeling.

The sports information directors at the 161 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 38 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, November 27. The sports information directors at their respective schools initially nominate candidates and vote for their top five candidates in their respective Super Region. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II SIDs.

The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill, a former University of North Alabama standout who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears. The winner of the 2023 award will be announced on Friday, December 15 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on Friday, January 12, 2024.