ASHLAND – Spencer Kuffel became the fifth Academic All-American in Southern Oregon football history when the honorees was announced Tuesday by the College Sports Communicators.

Kuffel, a sophomore defensive back, was selected to the All-Frontier first team in November after leading the conference with six total interceptions and two interception returns for touchdowns. His 3.59 cumulative GPA as an interdisciplinary studies major also made him an NAIA Scholar Athlete and a member of the Academic All-Frontier team.

He was among 25 football players recognized at the NAIA level with the CSC's top honor for a combination of their athletic and academic performance.

The Tigard product – who joined SOU as a redshirt in 2021 and has been a starting safety ever since debuting in 2022 – compiled 37 tackles during his sophomore campaign, which the Raiders ended with five wins in their last six games to go 6-4. The defense he starred on allowed just 19 points per game, the 22nd-best mark in the country, and 17.6 in conference games to lead the Frontier.

Kuffel's interception total was tied for No. 3 on the national leaderboard. He was the first Raider to log more than five in a season since 2015.

He got his first TD on a 40-yard return Oct. 21 in SOU's 42-13 win at MSU-Northern. His second was a momentous 42-yard return in the Raiders' season-ending 31-16 upset of No. 5 College of Idaho, which went on to reach the national semifinal round.