Thirteen finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, were announced on Oct. 27. The award is presented by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame and recognizes the best in the nation of combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
The 13 finalists will each receive a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.
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The finalists will all travel to the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7, where one of them will be named the winner of the 32nd Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. The event will take place at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
Here is a list of the finalists:
Troy Andersen, LB — Montana State (3.91 GPA – Agricultural Business)
Thomas Booker, DE — Stanford (3.88 GPA – Economics & Communication)
Mike Caliendo, OL — Western Michigan (3.90 GPA – Biomedical Sciences)
Sean Clifford, QB — Penn State (3.45 GPA – Public Relations)
Cameron Dukes, QB — Lindsey Wilson [KY] (3.89 GPA – Physical Education & Health)
Patrick Fields, DB — Oklahoma (3.82 GPA – Accounting)
Matt Henningsen, DE — Wisconsin (4.00 GPA – Electrical Engineering)
Aidan Hutchinson, DE — Michigan (3.54 GPA – Applied Exercise Science)
Joshua King, LB — U.S. Merchant Marine Academy [NY] (3.73 GPA – Marine Engineering)
Charlie Kolar, TE — Iowa State (3.99 GPA – Mechanical Engineering)
Henry Litwin, WR — Slippery Rock [PA] (3.66 GPA – Safety Management)
Sean Mahone, S — West Virginia (3.60 GPA – Management Information Systems)
Grant Morgan, LB — Arkansas (3.66 GPA – Kinesiology)
“These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy’s namesake Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the Future For Football is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships.”
Past winners of the award, which started in 1990, include Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Tim Tebow (Florida, 2009), Christian Wilkins (Clemson, 2018) and Justin Herbert (Oregon, 2019).