Career Honors
Cliff Harris Award Finalist (2024)
D2football.com Elite 100 1st-Team (2024)
AP All-America 1st-Team (2023)
AFCA All-America 1st-Team (2023)
Don Hansen All-American 1st-Team (2024)
AFCA All-America 2nd-Team (2024)
2x NCAA DII CCA All-Super Region 3 (2024, 2023)
GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year (2024)
2x 1st-Team All-GLIAC (2024, 2023)
2nd-Tean All-GLIAC (2022)
Career Highlights
Reached double-digit tackles nine times for his career including three of the final four games in 2024…has career totals of 271 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 32.5 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions…Cretsinger is the only current member of the SVSU defense to have played in all 44 games for the Cardinals during his career.
2024
Cretsinger led the SVSU defense in tackles for the second consecutive season after compiling 82 stops with 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven hurries, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one recovery, and one interception. The senior from Jackson, Michigan finished the season strong with back-to-back 12 tackle games in the last two weeks. Cretsinger reached double-digit tackles three times during the 2024 season all in the final four weeks of play.
2023
Tied the NCAA Division II record with four interceptions returned for a touchdown (vs. Grand Valley State 9/30/2023, at Davenport 10/28/2024, vs. Northern Michigan 11/4/2023, at Michigan Tech 11/11/2024)…was the first player in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to achieve that feat, and only the fifth player in DII history to meet that mark (the last occurrence came in 2011)…led the team in tackles with 100 and had 3.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and four pass breakups…his eight interceptions are tied for the most in the GLIAC and ranked second in all of NCAA DII…achieved double-digit stops four times during the season including setting a new career high in tackles with 17 in the overtime victory over Wayne State during the Cardinals homecoming game…finished the season ranked third in the GLIAC in tackles per game with 9.1…broke a 17-year old school record with four interceptions against Northern Michigan in the home finale.
2022
Second on the team in tackles with 64 while appearing in 11 games for SVSU...finished with 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss...recorded double-digit tackles twice during the season (vs. Bowie State 9/10/2022, at Grand Valley State 10/1/2022)…his season-high 11 stops in the week two win over Bowie State…led the team in tackles twice during the season (vs. West Virginia Wesleyan 9/1/2022, vs. Bowie State 9/10/2022)…led the team in forced fumbles with two including one that led to the Cardinals’ first score in the 35-30 victory over Michigan Tech in the season finale.
2021
Played in all 11 games for the Cardinals...recorded 25 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss...had a season-high six total tackles on Sept. 4 against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
High School
Graduated from Jackson High School...participated in football, basketball, and track...All-State Linebacker as senior...All-State in track and field in the long jump...Jackson County Defensive Player of the Year (2018)...conference champion in the 100-meter dash as well as long jump.
Personal
Exercise Science major...born in Jackson, Mississippi on 7/11/2001...son of Steve and Casey Cretsinger.
