ODESSA, Texas (December 4, 2025) – Junior linebacker Tristan Exline of The University of Texas Permian Basin football team is a First-Team defensive selection for the 2025 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Super Region Four Football Team announced on Thursday.

Exline was one of four linebackers named first-team defense, being joined by Landon Boss (Emporia State), Clark Griffin (Harding) and Logan O'Brien (Chadron State). He was also one of only two players from the Lone Star Conference to be named to the first-team for either offense or defense, being joined by defensive lineman Tyler King (Central Washington).

Exline also joins linebackers Chris Hoad (2018, 2019) and Hayden Kelly (2023) as the only first-team all-region selections in the 10-year history of UTPB football.

This season, Exline was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year (J.V. Sikes Award), was the Linebacker of the Year for the second year in a row, and was a two-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week and a two-time D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week. He is the first LSC Defensive Player of the Year in program history and is just the second Falcon to be named a two-time LSC Linebacker of the Year (Chris Hoad, 2018-2019).

Last week, Exline was named as one of 36 initial nominees for the 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II College Football Player of the Year), becoming the fourth Falcon (Hoad, 2019; MJ Link, 2022, Kenny Hrncir, 2023) to be nominated for the award. This week, it was announced that Exline finished in the top-six in regional voting from Super Region Four and was listed as an official "Harlon Hill Candidate", although he was not one of the 2025 Harlon Hill finalists, which includes only the top-two vote getters in each region. The only previous official "Harlon Hill Candidate" from UTPB was Hrncir (quarterback) in 2023.

Heading into the NCAA Quarterfinals, Exline leads the UTPB defense with 123 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss that include 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles while adding one interception. In all of NCAA Division II, he is ranked 11th in solo tackles per game (5.54), is tied for 13th in tackles for loss per game (1.50), and is 22nd in total tackles per game (9.5).

With his latest tackle for loss in the Falcons' most recent playoff win at Western Colorado (Nov. 29), Exline broke the UTPB record for tackles for loss in a single season (19.5). He is also tied for first for solo tackles (72) in a single season and ranks third in total tackles (123) and fourth in assisted tackles (51). For his career, Exline ranks fourth in tackles for loss (39.0) and sacks (12.0) and is fifth in total tackles (252), solo tackles (148) and sacks (12.0). He is also third in assisted tackles (104) and forced fumbles (4).

Exline has helped lead the No. 10 Falcons' football team to a 11-2 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the LSC. The Falcons tied for second place in the conference, but have advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.