PFL Release

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Butler quarterback Bret Bushka and kicker/punter Luka Zurak were each selected to the 2023 Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Team on Wednesday afternoon after a vote from the PFL head coaches. The duo are two of 30 student-athletes to earn the honor, including 12 returning First Team All-PFL selections. Returning players named to the league's 2022 All-PFL Teams were placed automatically on the 2023 Preseason All-PFL team, in order of head coaches voting.
 
Four of the PFL's five major award winners from 2022 return for the 2023 season, led by Bushka, the reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Year. Zurak is also back for the Bulldogs after being named PFL Special Teams Player of the Year a year ago.
 
Bushka accounted for 3,004 yards of total offense for Butler in 2022. He averaged 216 yards passing and 57 yards rushing per game. While under center, Bushka scored 25 touchdowns for the Bulldogs and ranked 16th in the FCS in total offense per game (273.1). He heads into his redshirt-senior season with 4,135 passing yards to go along with 30 TD's. Bushka also needs just 58 rushing yards to reach 1,000 in his BU career.
 
Zurak handled field goals, kickoffs and punting for the Bulldogs in 2022. He averaged 41.5 yards per punt a year ago and pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line eight times. When the Bulldogs needed to flip field position, Zurak would deliver with seven punts traveling over 50 yards throughout the season. Zurak used his powerful leg to record 17 touchbacks on kickoffs and approached the school record with a 56-yard made field goal. In total, Zurak hit 12 of his 15 field goal attempts in 2022.
 
Drake defensive lineman Finn Claypool earned a Preseason All-PFL nod as well after earning Freshman Defensive Player of the Year recognition in 2022. Stetson quarterback Brady Meitz also returns after claiming Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors but was not selected to the Preseason All-PFL squad.
 
Defending PFL Champion St. Thomas claimed six preseason selections with returning First Team All-PFL selections in wide receiver Andrew McElroy and linebacker Jonathan Bunce leading the group. Also notching a Preseason All-PFL spot for the Tommies are running back Shawn Shipman, offensive lineman Alec Rasmussen, defensive back Yusef Leak, and McElroy with a second nod at return specialist.
 
Dayton had four student-athletes named to the Preseason All-PFL team. Davidson, Drake, and San Diego had three honorees each. Marist, Morehead State, and Valparaiso saw two student-athletes named to the Preseason All-PFL squad while Stetson and Presbyterian grabbed one preseason selection each.
 
The upcoming 2023 season marks the 31st year for the Pioneer Football League. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
 
About the Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation's heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league's founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist College, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.