Via Clemson Athletic Communications:
The National Football Foundation announced earlier today that Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy.
Henry is one of 156 semifinalists across all levels of college football but is one of only six among that group to have already earned a master’s degree. The only other Clemson Tiger to earn the honor was defensive tackle Christian Wilkins back in 2018.
Check out the official press release below:
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today the 156 semifinalists for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award. The impressive list of candidates boasts an impressive 3.62 average GPA, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor’s degrees.
Celebrating its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
2022 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS NOTES
- 33rd year of the William V. Campbell Trophy®
- 64th year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments
- 156 Semifinalists
- 3.62 Average GPA
- 93 Nominees who have already earned their bachelor’s degrees
- 6 Nominees who have earned a master’s degree
- 4 Nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA
- 42 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
- 60 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or better
- 20 Academic All-America selections
- 97 Captains
- 23 All-Americans
- 81 All-Conference picks
“These 156 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “During the past seven decades, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have recognized 891 college football players who excelled as the best our great sport has to offer. This year’s semifinalists build on the tradition, further illustrating the power of football in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 33rd Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. Click here for more information on the Awards Dinner, including options to purchase tickets online, special travel rates to the event from Delta Air Lines and Bellagio and a concierge service provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
“The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the semifinalists as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are extremely proud to highlight their achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates.”
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 64th year in 2022. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 891 outstanding individuals since the program’s inception. This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $12.3 million.
The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program’s prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013, and the winner is honored each year during a special reception at the storied venue.
Known as “The Coach of Silicon Valley,” Campbell became one of our country’s most influential business leaders, playing critical roles in the success of Apple, Google, Intuit and countless other high-tech companies. The captain of the 1961 Columbia Ivy League championship team, he found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop, and manage talented executives – all lessons learned on the gridiron – proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success.
Later in life, Campbell was driven by a heartfelt desire to give back, and he quietly gave away tens of millions of dollars to multiple charities while also finding an hour and half each autumn weekday to coach an eighth-grade boys and girls flag-football team near his home in Palo Alto, California. Campbell passed away April 18, 2016, at the age of 75.
As part of its support of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, Fidelity Investments helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives (FARs) at each of the institutions with a finalist for the Campbell Trophy®. The NFF will present each of the finalist’s FARs with a plaque and Fidelity will donate $5,000 for the academic support services at each school. The salutes have recognized 152 FARs since the program’s inception, and Fidelity has made a total of $755,000 in donations.
2022 Campbell Trophy® semifinalists by division and position:
- 73 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
- 37 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
- 13 Nominees from NCAA Division II
- 29 Nominees from NCAA Division III
- 4 Nominees from the NAIA
- 72 Offensive Players
- 65 Defensive Players
- 19 Special Teams Players
2022 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Alabama – Darrian Dalcourt
Appalachian State – Tyler Bird
Arkansas – Trey Knox
Auburn – Anders Carlson
Baylor – Dillon Doyle
Boise State – John Ojukwu
Bowling Green – Matt McDonald
Brigham Young – Clark Barrington
Buffalo – Alex McNulty
California – Matthew Cindric
Central Michigan – Robi Stuart
Clemson – K.J. Henry
Colorado – Daniel Arias
Duke – DeWayne Carter
Eastern Michigan – Dylan Drummond
Florida State – Wyatt Rector
Georgia – Jack Podlesny
Georgia State – Seth Glausier
Georgia Tech – Dylan Leonard
Illinois – Alex Pihlstrom
Indiana – Beau Robbins
Iowa – Jack Campbell
Iowa State – Jared Rus
Kansas – Sam Burt
Kansas State – Adrian Martinez
Kentucky – Colin Goodfellow
Liberty – Cooper McCaw
Memphis – Quindell Johnson
Miami (FL) – Lou Hedley
Michigan – Jake Moody
Middle Tennessee – Jordan Palmer
Mississippi State – Austin Williams
Missouri – Barrett Banister
Navy – John Marshall
Nebraska – Travis Vokolek
North Carolina State – Tim McKay
Northern Illinois – Michael Kennedy
Northwestern – Charlie Mangieri
Notre Dame – Josh Lugg
Ohio State – Bradley Robinson
Oklahoma – Drake Stoops
Oklahoma State – Tom Hutton
Old Dominion – Zack Kuntz
Oregon – Alex Forsyth
Oregon State – Jack Colletto
Penn State – Jonathan Sutherland
Pittsburgh – Habakkuk Baldonado
Rice – Wiley Green
Rutgers – Adam Korsak
San Jose State – Tre Jenkins
SMU – Tanner Mordecai
South Carolina – Jovaughn Gwyn
South Florida – Brad Cecil
Southern California – Nick Figueroa
Stanford – Walter Rouse
Syracuse – Dakota Davis
TCU – Dominic DiNunzio
Tennessee – Paxton Brooks
Texas – Roschon Johnson
Texas at San Antonio – Ahofitu Maka
Texas State – Russell Baker
Texas Tech – Marquis Waters
Troy – Austin Stidham
Tulane – Nick Anderson
UCF – Alex Ward
UCLA – Shea Pitts
Utah – R.J. Hubert
Utah State – Chandler Dolphin
Virginia – Brendan Farrell
Wake Forest – Michael Jurgens
Washington – Edefuan Ulofoshio
Washington State – Brennan Jackson
Western Michigan – Dylan Deatherage
Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
Brown – Lucas Ferraro
Bucknell – Brent Jackson
Columbia – Stewart Newblatt
Cornell – Jake Stebbins
Dartmouth – Nick Howard
Davidson – Bradyn Oakley
Dayton – Jake Chisholm
Eastern Illinois – Isaiah Hill
Fordham – Ryan Greenhagen
Georgetown – Mac Hollensteiner
Harvard – Truman Jones
Holy Cross – Peter Oliver
Houston Christian – Brennan Young
Jacksonville State – Zack Cangelosi
Lamar – Luke Wallis
Maine – Michael Gerace
Marist – Mike Arrington
Montana – Robby Hauck
New Hampshire – Niko Kvietkus
Nicholls – Glen Thurmond
Norfolk State – Marquis Hall
North Dakota – Cade Peterson
Northern Arizona – Anthony Sweeney
Northwestern State – Kaleb Fletcher
Princeton – Michael Ruttlen Jr.
Sacramento State – Abel Ordaz
South Dakota State – Reece Winkelman
St. Thomas – Seth Bickett
Stetson – Ethan Hull
Stonehill – David Satkowski
Stony Brook – Kyle Nunez
Tennessee Tech – Seth Carlisle
Texas A&M-Commerce – Michael Noble
UC Davis – Jayce Smalley
William & Mary – Carlton Fowler
Yale – Oso Ifesinachukwu
Youngstown State – Griffin Hoak
Division II
Ashland (OH) – Austin Brenner
Benedict (SC) – Ja’Ron Kilpatrick
Bentley (MA) – Jailen Branch
California (PA) – Noel Brouse
Colorado State Pueblo – Max Gonzales
Harding (AR) – Grant Fitzhugh
Minnesota State – Jalen Sample
Ouachita Baptist (AR) – Peyton Stafford
Pittsburg State (KS) – P.J. Sarwinski
Slippery Rock (PA) – Noah Grover
Southern Arkansas – Austin Wilkerson
Wayne State (MI) – Julius Wilkerson
Wingate (NC) – Trevor Grant
Division III
Allegheny (PA) – Hudson Alread
Bates (ME) – Tony Hooks
Berry (GA) – Jake Weitkamp
Chicago (IL) – Nicholas D’Ambrose
DePauw (IN) – Danny Sheehan
Gallaudet (DC) – Laron Thomas
Hampden-Sydney (VA) – Michael Harris
Hardin-Simmons (TX) – Cody Harral
Hobart (NY) – Cade Frucci
Hope (MI) – Daniel Romano
Johns Hopkins (MD) – JR Woods
Lake Forest (IL) – Dante Esposito
Lycoming (PA) – Cole Senior
Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) – Sante Parker Jr.
Middlebury (VT) – Gregory Livingston
Millsaps (MS) – Nic Hayes
Rhodes (TN) – Reggie Matthews
Saint John’s (MN) – Michael Wozniak
Shenandoah (VA) – Mason Caldwell
Springfield (MA) – Lou Cocozza
Susquehanna (PA) – Elijah Hoffman
Trinity (CT) – Aidan Kennedy
Tufts (MA) – Johnathan Oneal
Washington & Jefferson (PA) – Alexander Keith
Waynesburg (PA) – Tyler Raines
Wesleyan (CT) – Matt Simco
Wisconsin Lutheran – Brevin Jegerlehner
Wisconsin-Stout – Sean Borgerding
Wooster (OH) – Lake Barrett
NAIA
Dakota State (SD) – Travis Rebstock
Morningside (IA) – Joe Dolincheck
Rocky Mountain (MT) – Andrew Simon
Southwestern (KS) – Drew Smith
Past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® include:
1990 – Chris Howard (Air Force)
1991 – Brad Culpepper (Florida)
1992 – Jim Hansen (Colorado)
1993 – Thomas Burns (Virginia)
1994 – Rob Zatechka (Nebraska)
1995 – Bobby Hoying (Ohio State)
1996 – Danny Wuerffel (Florida)
1997 – Peyton Manning (Tennessee)
1998 – Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia)
1999 – Chad Pennington (Marshall)
2000 – Kyle Vanden Bosch (Nebraska)
2001 – Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami [FL])
2002 – Brandon Roberts (Washington U. in St. Louis [MO])
2003 – Craig Krenzel (Ohio State)
2004 – Michael Munoz (Tennessee)
2005 – Rudy Niswanger (LSU)
2006 – Brian Leonard (Rutgers)
2007 – Dallas Griffin (Texas)
2008 – Alex Mack (California)
2009 – Tim Tebow (Florida)
2010 – Sam Acho (Texas)
2011 – Andrew Rodriguez (Army West Point)
2012 – Barrett Jones (Alabama)
2013 – John Urschel (Penn State)
2014 – David Helton (Duke)
2015 – Ty Darlington (Oklahoma)
2016 – Zach Terrell (Western Michigan)
2017 – Micah Kiser (Virginia)
2018 – Christian Wilkins (Clemson)
2019 – Justin Herbert (Oregon)
2020 – Brady White (Memphis)
2021 – Charlie Kolar (Iowa State)
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