Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman is used to flipping the field and water bottles, but that’s not all he can do. According to a release Thursday from the university, Chrisman has been named one of 199 semifinalists for the William C. Campbell Trophy presented annually to the most outstanding senior scholar-athlete by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame.
It’s not easy to be considered for the award. A nominee must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 and combine notable accomplishments on the field with academic success and exemplary examples of off-the-field leadership and citizenship. Chrisman would fit that bill it seems.
- He carries a 3.334 grade-point average and graduated last December with his degree in consumer and family financial services. Chrisman is currently pursuing a second undergraduate degree in human development and family science.
- Four times Chrisman has been an OSU Scholar-Athlete and three-times he’s earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
- Chrisman, whose bottle-flipping exploits had been well documented prior to 2020, took his talents to a new level when he raised more than $15,000 for the World Wildlife Fund’s Australia brushfire relief efforts during a 24-hour flipping marathon.
- In January, he flipped 16-ounce water bottles for 24 hours as a live stream audience on YouTube watched – and donated. He estimates that he flipped at least 30,000 bottles to get to his total of 22,067 successful flips.
But that’s not all. When Chrisman first arrived on campus in 2016, he grew his hair out for a full year and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths in honor of his grandmother, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
He’s also been a regular participant in trips with his teammates to read at Columbus-area elementary schools in partnership with the 2nd and 7 Foundation, which promotes literacy by providing free books and positive role models for children in need.
The @NFFNetwork award recognizes the best football scholar-athlete for combined academic success, football performance & leadership. @DChrisman91 is 4th in @OhioStateFB history in career punting average (43.9) and 3rd in punts I20 (72). https://t.co/2UkbFrRydG
— Jerry Emig (@BuckeyeNotes) October 1, 2020
On the field, Chrisman has been a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award that goes to college football’s best punter annually the last couple of seasons. He’s also one of the programs best punters statistically speaking with the No. 4 all-time average per punt.
From Lawrenceburg, Ind. and LaSalle High School in Cincinnati, Chrisman will attempt to become Ohio State’s 23rd NFF National Scholar-Athlete and its third winner of the Campbell Trophy. Bobby Hoying (1995) and Craig Krenzel (2003) are the only two that have taken home the award.
The winner will be chosen in December from a list of 12-15 scholar-athletes. Each of whom will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Ohio State’s Jordan Fuller was a finalist last season.
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