Football | 9/29/2025 12:00:00 PM

DJ Maultsby (Melbourne, Fla./Eau Gallie), a member of the Saint Francis football team, has been named the NEC Rookie of the Week for Week Five of the schedule. It is the freshman's first conference weekly award. The freshman was also named a Stats Perform FCS National Rookie of the Week honorable mention. 

Maultsby registered nine catches for 141 yards (42 after the catch) and a touchdown for the Red Flash in the first-ever meeting against Bucknell. In the four scoring drives, the freshman had five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown to help Saint Francis register its best offensive game of the season. Maultsby registered a 15-yard reception on the first TD of the game, putting the Red Flash in Bucknell's territory. The freshman was then able to get a foot down, falling out of the end zone, to give the Loretto program a 14-10 lead at halftime. To start the second half, the freshman hauled in another spectacular catch on a 48-yard reception to set up a Mac Plummer ((Lebanon, Pa./Annville Cleona) 21-yard field goal for a 17-10 advantage. Looking to make a comeback, Maultsby converted a third and four with a 25-yard reception to go over 100 receiving yards for the first time in his career and then had a 10-yard catch on the drive that led to Saint Francis retaking the edge at 23-22. The freshman also had three catches for 23 yards on two other drives that nearly led to scores. He had four- and seven-yard receptions on the team's opening drive and nearly gave Saint Francis a 7-0 lead on a 28-yard touchdown, but his foot barely clipped the out-of-bounds line. He also had a 12-yard catch in the final drive of the game that stalled in the red zone with a chance to tie the game. He had a catch on five of the 11 drives for Saint Francis and had six catches for over 10 yards and two catches that went for 25 yards or more. After not registering a catch in his first three games, Maultsby has 11 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown in his last two contests and is now the NEC's freshman leader in receiving yards.

Maultsby becomes the 32nd player under head coach Chris Villarrial to earn NEC Rookie of the Week honors and the 40th time for the team dating back to the 1997 season. The Red Flash has had at least one top rookie every season under Villarrial with 21 different players earning the distinction in his 16 seasons. Maultsby is the 11th offensive player to be named the Rookie of the Week and the 18th time under the coach. He is the 13th different offensive player since 1997, and the 20th time a player on the Saint Francis offense has received the honor. Breaking it down by position, Maultsby is the sixth different receiver (fifth under Villarrial) and eighth time overall, joining Mekhi Workman (9-4-23), Makai Jackson (11-7-22), Elijah Sarratt (10-31-22, 9-26-22, 9-19-22), Ra'Shaun Henry (9-11-17), and Maurice Sales (11-17-03).

Maultsby is the fourth different player on the 2025 roster to receive a weekly major award, joining Geno Calgaro (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) (11-4-24, 10-21-24), Jeff Hoenstine (Martinsburg, Pa./Central Martinsburg) (10-7-24, 9-9-24), and Nick Whitfield Jr. (Fredonia, N.Y./Fredonia) (10-30-23). Calgaro is the only other player to earn a major weekly award this season after being named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the first week of the season. Calgaro was also named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week last season and twice garnered NEC Rookie of the Week distinction. Hoenstine was the NEC Offensive Player of the Week in 2024, and Whitfield was the NEC Offensive Player of the Week in 2023 for all the major weekly awards bestowed upon the players on this roster have honored them.

Maultsby, fellow wide receiver Peyton Nelson (District Heights, Md./Dr. Henry Wise), and Whitfield picked up NEC Prime Performers for the week.

Nelson registered 11 catches for 131 yards (82 yards after the catch) for Saint Francis against Bucknell for his first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He registered eight of those receptions in the second half for 73 yards in the second half, including five catches for 47 yards on the almost game-tying drive to end the game. The freshman recorded a 10-yard catch to set up first and goal on the drive that gave the Red Flash a 23-22 edge in the fourth quarter. Nelson added a 48-yard reception in the first half. The freshman is the first receiver with 10+ receptions since Jackson against Wagner on September 17, 2022. Nelson leads the team with 20 catches and ranks second with 175 yards. He leads NEC freshmen in receptions and ranks second behind Maultsby in receiving yards. 

Whitfield went 31-for-44 for 377 yards and a touchdown pass, along with five rushes for 26 yards, to total over 400 yards against the Bison. Both yards and completions were career-highs for the redshirt junior. During the Red Flash's four scoring drives, Whitfield was 12-for-17 for 188 yards and had five rushes for 26 yards. He was 3-for-4 for 51 yards passing to help the Red Flash tie the game at 7 early in the second quarter. He then helped Saint Francis take a 14-10 lead going into halftime, going 4-for-4 for 47 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Maultsby in the final minute of the second quarter. To start the second half, Whitfield's 42-yard connection to Maultsby set up a Mac Plummer field goal to give the Flash a 17-10 advantage. He then orchestrated a go-ahead drive to give Saint Francis a 23-22 lead after connecting on 4 of 5 attempts for 48 yards, while the redshirt junior had a 16-yard scamper to set up first and goal. Whitfield threw for over 300 yards, becoming the first quarterback to hit that mark since Cole Doyle against Merrimack in the de facto NEC Championship Game on November 19, 2022. The redshirt junior has completed 57 passes in his last two games for 658 yards passing. After being the first player since Jason Brown to have 25 completions, Whitfield is the first player since Brown to have 30 completions in a game against CCSU on November 9, 2019. 

Calgaro leads the team with three Prime Performers this season, while Maultsby, Nelson, Whitfield, and Brenden Hodge (Los Angeles, Calif./El Camino College) each have one honor in 2025. It was Whitfield's second Prime Performer of his career after one in 2023, while Hoenstine and Plummer earned a Prime Performer last season.

Saint Francis has a bye in Week 6 before returning to action and NEC play at Duquesne on Saturday, October 11. Game time is 1 p.m. After the game against the Dukes, the Red Flash will have another bye before playing four of its final five games at DeGol Field, starting with Robert Morris on October 25 for Saint Francis' annual Homecoming.