Awards and Honors:
2023 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Finalist (8th)
2023 Stats Perform FCS Third Team All-America (QB)
2023 FCS Football Central Third Team All-America (QB)
2023 UAC Offensive Player of the Year
2023 First Team All-UACÂ (QB)
FCS National Offensive Player of the Week: Oct. 30Â (2023)
UAC Offensive Player of the Week: Sept. 18, Oct. 30 (2023)
TSWA Offensive Player of the Week: Oct. 3, Oct. 31 (2023)
ASUN Offensive Player of the Week: Sept. 12, Sept. 26Â (2022)
2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society
2023 William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
2023 CSC Academic All-District
Athletics Director's Honor Roll (F22, S23, F23)
2023: A Stats Perform FCS and FCS Football Central Third Team All-America selection… Finished eighth in the voting for the 2023 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award… Also the 2023 UAC Offensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-UAC selection, he started all 12 games at quarterback… Completed 20-of-34 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener at Southern Illinois (Sept. 2)… Had a season-long 45-yard rush in addition to going 29-of-39 for 260 yards with a 52-yard touchdown toss at Tennessee (Sept. 9)… Completed 37 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns while rushing four times for 21 yards and a touchdown against ETSU (Sept. 16) to earn UAC Offensive Player of the Week… Set the APSU single-game record and posted the fourth-best single-game total in the FCS in 2023 with 441 passing yards against ETSU, his 37 completions and five passing touchdowns also are tied for the third-best single-game marks in program history… Totaled 15 completions for 349 yards and three passing touchdowns in addition to rushing five times for 46 yards and a touchdown at Lindenwood (Sept. 30), earning his first TSWA Offensive Player of the Week award… Went 31-of-41 for 372 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown against Gardner-Webb (Oct. 14)… Rushed 16 times for a season-best 61 yards and two touchdowns at Southern Utah (Oct. 21), also completed 16 passes for 209 yards with an eight-yard walk-off touchdown pass to Trey Goodman to beat the Thunderbirds in double overtime… Completed 20-of-25 passes for 353 yards and six touchdowns against North Alabama (Oct. 28) en route to earning FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, UAC Offensive Player of the Week, and TSWA Offensive Player of the Week… His six touchdown passes – to six different wide receivers – against UNA tied the APSU single-game record and was tied for the best single-game total in the FCS in 2023… One of the six touchdown throws against UNA was a career-long 87-yard pass to Goodman, which was tied for the 13th-longest completion in the FCS in 2023 and the second-longest completion in APSU history… His 80.0 completion percentage against UNA was the fifth-best single-game mark in APSU history and the 353 passing yards were the 10th-best mark in program history… Tallied 18 completions for 310 yards and four touchdowns, including 25-yard walk-off touchdown to Tre Shackelford in overtime to beat Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 4)… Tallied 17 completions for 279 yards and two touchdowns against Utah Tech (Nov. 11)… Completed 12 passes for 107 yards and a 27-yard touchdown in the FCS Playoffs First Round against Chattanooga (Nov. 25)… Finished the season with 242 completions for 3,164 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 203 yards and five touchdowns… Recorded the second 3,000-yard passing season in program history… Set the Austin Peay single-season records in passing touchdowns, completion percentage (66.9), pass efficiency (160.3), passing yards per game (263.7), and total offense per game (280.6)… Posted the second-best single-season marks in program history in pass completions, passing yards, total offense (3,367), and touchdowns responsible for (33), also recorded the fifth-most pass attempts (362) in program history… Totaled a program-record five 300-yard passing games in 2023… Ranked third in the FCS in passing yards, fourth in passing touchdowns, fourth in points responsible for per game (16.5), fifth in points responsible for (198), sixth in passing efficiency, 10th in yards per pass attempt (8.74), and 11th in completion percentage – he led the UAC in all seven of those categories… Ranked 12th in the FCS and second in the UAC in passing yards per game… Ranked 11th in the FCS and second in the UAC in total offense per game… Ranked seventh in the UAC and led all quarterbacks in the conference in rushing touchdowns… Quarterbacked an Austin Peay offense that ranked ninth in the FCS and led the UAC in scoring (34.1 ppg), the Govs also ranked 14th in total offense (426.8) and 13th in passing offense (247.1) while ranking second in the UAC in both those categories… Became the fourth player and third quarterback in program history to be named a conference offensive player of the year, and his eighth-place finish – with three first-place votes – is the highest ever finish by a Governor for the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award… Closed his time at Austin Peay as the career leader in passing yards (5,611), passing touchdowns (49), completion percentage (64.1), pass efficiency (149.7), passing yards per game (244.0), total offense (6,260), touchdowns responsible for (62), and total offense per game (272.2)… His 13 career rushing touchdowns are also the second-most by a quarterback in program history… Also ranks fourth in program history in pass attempts (690) and pass completions (442)… Totaled a program-record eight 300-yard passing games in his career and is the only Austin Peay quarterback to throw for 2,000-plus yards in multiple seasons.
2022: Started all 11 games at quarterback in his first season as a Governor… Completed 14-of-20 passes for 123 and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown in his Austin Peay debut against Western Kentucky (Aug. 27)… Threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns while adding 26 yards and a touchdown on the ground in his first win as the Govs’ quarterback against Presbyterian (Sept. 3)… Had a career day through the air against Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 10), completing 25 passes for a career-high 383 yards – the third-best single-game yardage mark in APSU history – and a career-best five touchdowns – tied for the second-best single-game total in program history… Tallied 384 yards of total offense against MVSU, which is the fourth-best single-game total in program history… Added two passing touchdowns and a rushing score against Alabama A&M (Sept. 17)… Led a 17-point, second-half comeback win against Eastern Kentucky with 17 completions for 172 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 181 yards – the best single-game mark by a QB in APSU history – and three touchdowns – the second-best single-game total by a QB in program history… All three rushing touchdowns against EKU came in the second half, tying the program record for rushing scores in a single half… Averaged 12.1 yards per rush against EKU, which is the third-best single-game mark in program history…Had a career-best 29 completions on a career-high 44 passing attempts at Central Arkansas (Oct. 1)… Added 309 yards and three touchdowns – including a season-long 78-yard scoring toss – on 18 completions against Murray State (Oct. 15), also rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown in the contest… Passed for 181 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville State (Oct. 29) while matching his season-high with 17 carries for 96 yards, including a season-long 58-yard rush… Fired 19 completions for 326 yards and three touchdowns – including a 69-yard scoring toss, his second-longest of the season – against North Alabama (Nov. 5)… Went 21-of-28 through the air for 204 yards against Kennesaw State (Nov. 12) and added a seven-yard rushing touchdown… Completed 20 passes for 147 yards in the season finale at Alabama (Nov. 19)… Threw for the fourth-most yards and became the seventh 2,000-yard passer in Austin Peay history with 2,447 yards… Ranked third in the ASUN and 39th in the FCS in passing yards… Also ranked third in the ASUN and 39th in the ASUN with 222.5 passing yards per game – the third-best season mark in program history… His 21 passing touchdowns are the third-best season in APSU history – and already rank eighth on the career passing touchdown list – while ranking 18th in the FCS and second in the ASUN in 2022… His 2022 season ranks fourth in APSU history in completions (200), second in completion percentage (61.0), and third in pass efficiency (138.1)… Ran for 446 yards and eight touchdowns, the eighth and fourth-best season marks, respectively, by an APSU quarterback… Recorded 2,893 yards of total offense, 263.0 yards of total offense per game, and was responsible for 29 touchdowns – all are the second-best single-season marks in program history… Ranked 20th in the FCS and second in the ASUN in total offense… Also ranked 17th in the FCS in points responsible for (174) and points responsible for per game (15.8) – he was second in the ASUN in both categories.
Prior to Austin Peay: Began collegiate career at Florida Tech (2018-19) before transferring to Middle Tennessee where he played two seasons (2020-21). 2021: Completed 29-of-49 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 264 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games played… Completed 2-of-3 passes at Connecticut for 16 yards (Oct. 22)… Came in off the bench for an injured Chase Cunningham against Southern Miss (Oct. 30) and completed 8-of-12 passes for 78 yards while leading the team in rushing with 77 yards and two touchdowns… Led the Blue Raiders to a win at Florida Atlantic after starter Nick Vattiato got hurt (Nov. 27), completing 12-of-19 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown to go with 43 rushing yards… Had four carries for 44 yards and a touchdown in the Bahamas Bowl victory against Toledo (Dec. 17). 2020: Completed 3-of-4 passes for 35 yards and a touchdown against Troy (Nov. 21) in only action of the season. 2019: Completed 141-of-233 passes for 1,773 yards and 12 touchdowns over 11 games in second season at Florida Tech… In addition, rushed for 672 yards and 11 touchdowns… Notched 309-yard passing performance at Delta State (Sept. 21)… Rushed for a touchdown in the season’s first eight games… Posted 100-yard rushing performances against Fort Valley State (100 yards, Oct. 5) and West Florida (136, Oct. 26). 2018: Did not play in first season at Florida Tech.
High School: Racked up 1,400 passing yards and 900 rushing yards during his senior season at Cooper City High School… Earned second team all-county… Named BCAA South Side MVP… Lettered in football, wrestling, and volleyball.
Personal: Michael Anthony DiLiello is the son of Al and Tania DiLiello… Birthday is April 13… Has one brother, Alec… Mother, Tania, played softball at Miami-Dade College… Graduated from Middle Tennessee in May 2022 with a bachelor’s in commercial construction management... Pursuing a master’s in management.
