BISMARCK, ND – Earning national notice for his impact on the gridiron, University of Mary senior Mason Phillips claimed a spot on the 2025 D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List. The Marauders all-conference linebacker was selected to the Elite 100 as a member of the defensive squad.
 
The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List is selected by the staff of D2Football.com with the input of numerous sitting head coaches as well as professional football scouting veteran Josh Buchanan. The Elite 100 players represent the official watch list for the D2Football.com 2025 Elite 100 Team, which will be announced at the conclusion of the season. The Elite 100 Watch List team includes first and second team selections for offense, defense and special teams along with 25 "Squad" players for offense and defense. Squad players are equivalent to "honorable mention" selections in similar national recognition lists. 
 
Phillps earned All-Northern Sun second team honors at linebacker in 2024. One of the league's top defensive disrupters, the Gilbert, AZ, native had 5.5 sacks and posted career-highs for tackles for loss (10.0) and tackles (54 total with 30 unassisted). Phillips, who had four games last season in which he recorded 2.0 tackles for loss, finished the 2024 regular season 6th in the NSIC in tackles for loss and 8th in sacks. In his three seasons Phillips owns 14.0 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. He has cracked the top-15 all-time at UMary in tackles for loss and is closing in on 12th place in sacks (16).
 
Phillips is the first UMary scholar-athlete named to the Elite 100 Watch list since WR Danny Kittner (1^st team) and QB Logan Nelson (squad) in 2022.
 
The Marauders open the 2025 season on Thursday, August 28, with a Week 0 home game against visiting Midland University. The non-conference home game kicks off at 6:30 pm at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. Season and individual game tickets are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com/
 
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