University of Richmond Athletics
Wheeler, Trusler Tabbed All-Americans By Stats Perform
12/19/2023 | Football
Wheeler concluded his illustrious career in 2023, achieving a single-season career-high with 121 tackles along with 3.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss. His season opened with a 17-tackle performance against Morgan State, marking the second-highest total in a single game throughout his career. During the Delaware State game, Wheeler notched his fourth tackle of the game, surpassing the 400 career tackles milestone and joining six other Spider to achieve this feat.
During the Campbell game, Wheeler's fourth tackle propelled him to second place on the all-time Spiders career tackles list. His consistency shone through with his 11th tackle of the game against Elon, as it marked 100 or more tackles in four consecutive full seasons of football (2019, 2021 fall, 2022, 2023).
This season, Trusler averaged 41.5 yards per punt and pinned 26 kicks inside the 20-yard line—a conference high. Trusler led the Spiders to first in the CAA in net punting with an average of 39.9 yards per kick. In the William & Mary game, he recorded a career-long 76-yard punt, tying for the sixth-longest in program history.
During the Elon game he executed a crucial first down off a fake punt, covering 21 yards. Of his 63 punts in the season, only 10 were returned, totaling a mere 22 yards—the second fewest in the FCS for the season. His precision and strategic plays added significant value to the Spiders' success throughout the campaign.
The All-America honor comes as the third this offseason for both Wheeler and Trusler. Trusler was named Second Team All-America by Phil Steele/Draftscout.com and a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press, while Wheeler was named a third team All-American by FCS Football Central and Fourth Team All-American by Phil Steele/Draftscout.com.
