Photo by: U.S. Air Force photo / Trevor Co
Peterson named semifinalist for Campbell Trophy
10/1/2020 9:05:00 AM | Football
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today an all-time record of 199 semifinalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, establishing an exciting new highwater mark for one of college football's most sought-after and coveted awards.
Air Force senior Ben Peterson is one of the record 199 semifinalist. Peterson is a civil engineering major with a 3.60 grade point average. He ranks in the top 150 in order of merit for academics in the class of 2021. Peterson has been active in his squadron as the academic officer and standardization and evaluation officer. He has also been part of the Basic Cadet Training cadet cadre helping to train basic cadets. He is a two-time Mountain West academic all-conference honoree and has been on the Superintendent's List for excellence in academics, military training and athletics.
"This is terrific news. To set a record for the number of Campbell nominees is extra special during the pandemic because it shows how the stature of the award continues to rise even during these challenging times," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "We have worked hard to expand the profile of the award, and it's extremely gratifying to have so many schools participate this year with nominations. We believe it sends an important message to the younger student-athletes that you truly can do it all, succeeding on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community."
Celebrating its 31st year, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
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.
"It is wonderful to see a record number of semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy® during such a turbulent year, proving the Future for Football is bright," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's 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 62nd year in 2020. 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 866 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.9 million. The 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 luncheon at the venue.
An All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team, Bill Campbell found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia 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.
SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE
2020 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® PRESENTED BY MAZDA
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Air Force - Ben Peterson
Alabama - Landon Dickerson
Appalachian State - Cole Garrison
Arkansas - Grant Morgan
Arkansas State - Forrest Merrill
Boise State - Kekaula Kaniho
Boston College - Zion Johnson
Bowling Green State - Matt Naranjo
Buffalo - Zac Lefebvre
California - Michael Saffell
Charlotte - Tyriq Harris
Cincinnati - James Smith
Clemson - Will Swinney
Coastal Carolina - Tarron Jackson
Colorado - Matt Lynch
Connecticut - Brian Keating
Duke - Michael Carter II
East Carolina - Jake Verity
Eastern Michigan - Thomas Odukoya
Florida - Jeremiah Moon
Florida Atlantic - John Mitchell
Fresno State - Matt Smith
Georgia - Prather Hudson
Georgia Southern - Shai Werts
Georgia State - Jonathan Ifedi
Houston - Kyle Porter
Illinois - Blake Hayes
Indiana - Harry Crider
Iowa State - Chase Allen
Kansas - Sam Burt
Kansas State - Tyler Burns
Kentucky - Luke Fortner
Louisiana - Cameron Solomon
LSU - Liam Shanahan
Memphis - Brady White
Michigan - Will Hart
Michigan State - Dom Long
Minnesota - Conner Olson
Mississippi - Luke Logan
Mississippi State - K.J. Costello
Navy - Cameron Kinley
Nebraska - Ben Stille
Nevada - Sam Hammond
New Mexico State - Jared Wyatt
Northern Illinois - Matt Ference
Northwestern - Tyler Gilliken
Notre Dame - Robert Hainsey
Ohio State - Drue Chrisman
Oklahoma State - Logan Carter
Old Dominion - Jordan Young
Oregon - Brady Breeze
Oregon State - Andrzej Hughes-Murray
Pittsburgh - Jimmy Morrissey
Rice - Blaze Alldredge
Rutgers - Billy Taylor
San Jose State - Jack Snyder
South Alabama - Brian Ankerson
South Carolina - Parker White
South Florida - Trent Schneider
Southern California - Erik Krommenhoek
Southern Methodist - Tyler Page
Southern Mississippi - Jack Abraham
Stanford - Jet Toner
Syracuse - Kingsley Jonathan
Temple - Isaiah Graham-Mobley
Tennessee - Brandon Kennedy
Texas - Sam Ehlinger
Texas A&M - Dan Moore Jr.
Texas at San Antonio - Hunter Duplessis
Texas Tech - McLane Mannix
Toledo - Bryce Harris
Troy - Cameron Kaye
Tulane - Chase Kuerschen
UAB - Jacob Fuqua
UCF - Greg McCrae
UNLV - Charles Williams
Utah - Drew Lisk
Utah State - Chase Nelson
Virginia - Joey Blount
Washington - Elijah Molden
West Virginia - Sean Mahone
Western Kentucky - Steven Witchoskey
Western Michigan - Mike Caliendo
Wisconsin - Jack Coan
Wyoming - Skyler Miller
Air Force senior Ben Peterson is one of the record 199 semifinalist. Peterson is a civil engineering major with a 3.60 grade point average. He ranks in the top 150 in order of merit for academics in the class of 2021. Peterson has been active in his squadron as the academic officer and standardization and evaluation officer. He has also been part of the Basic Cadet Training cadet cadre helping to train basic cadets. He is a two-time Mountain West academic all-conference honoree and has been on the Superintendent's List for excellence in academics, military training and athletics.
"This is terrific news. To set a record for the number of Campbell nominees is extra special during the pandemic because it shows how the stature of the award continues to rise even during these challenging times," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "We have worked hard to expand the profile of the award, and it's extremely gratifying to have so many schools participate this year with nominations. We believe it sends an important message to the younger student-athletes that you truly can do it all, succeeding on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community."
Celebrating its 31st year, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
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.
"It is wonderful to see a record number of semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy® during such a turbulent year, proving the Future for Football is bright," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's 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 62nd year in 2020. 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 866 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.9 million. The 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 luncheon at the venue.
An All-Ivy League player and the captain of Columbia's 1961 Ivy League championship team, Bill Campbell found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from Columbia 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.
SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE
2020 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® PRESENTED BY MAZDA
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Air Force - Ben Peterson
Alabama - Landon Dickerson
Appalachian State - Cole Garrison
Arkansas - Grant Morgan
Arkansas State - Forrest Merrill
Boise State - Kekaula Kaniho
Boston College - Zion Johnson
Bowling Green State - Matt Naranjo
Buffalo - Zac Lefebvre
California - Michael Saffell
Charlotte - Tyriq Harris
Cincinnati - James Smith
Clemson - Will Swinney
Coastal Carolina - Tarron Jackson
Colorado - Matt Lynch
Connecticut - Brian Keating
Duke - Michael Carter II
East Carolina - Jake Verity
Eastern Michigan - Thomas Odukoya
Florida - Jeremiah Moon
Florida Atlantic - John Mitchell
Fresno State - Matt Smith
Georgia - Prather Hudson
Georgia Southern - Shai Werts
Georgia State - Jonathan Ifedi
Houston - Kyle Porter
Illinois - Blake Hayes
Indiana - Harry Crider
Iowa State - Chase Allen
Kansas - Sam Burt
Kansas State - Tyler Burns
Kentucky - Luke Fortner
Louisiana - Cameron Solomon
LSU - Liam Shanahan
Memphis - Brady White
Michigan - Will Hart
Michigan State - Dom Long
Minnesota - Conner Olson
Mississippi - Luke Logan
Mississippi State - K.J. Costello
Navy - Cameron Kinley
Nebraska - Ben Stille
Nevada - Sam Hammond
New Mexico State - Jared Wyatt
Northern Illinois - Matt Ference
Northwestern - Tyler Gilliken
Notre Dame - Robert Hainsey
Ohio State - Drue Chrisman
Oklahoma State - Logan Carter
Old Dominion - Jordan Young
Oregon - Brady Breeze
Oregon State - Andrzej Hughes-Murray
Pittsburgh - Jimmy Morrissey
Rice - Blaze Alldredge
Rutgers - Billy Taylor
San Jose State - Jack Snyder
South Alabama - Brian Ankerson
South Carolina - Parker White
South Florida - Trent Schneider
Southern California - Erik Krommenhoek
Southern Methodist - Tyler Page
Southern Mississippi - Jack Abraham
Stanford - Jet Toner
Syracuse - Kingsley Jonathan
Temple - Isaiah Graham-Mobley
Tennessee - Brandon Kennedy
Texas - Sam Ehlinger
Texas A&M - Dan Moore Jr.
Texas at San Antonio - Hunter Duplessis
Texas Tech - McLane Mannix
Toledo - Bryce Harris
Troy - Cameron Kaye
Tulane - Chase Kuerschen
UAB - Jacob Fuqua
UCF - Greg McCrae
UNLV - Charles Williams
Utah - Drew Lisk
Utah State - Chase Nelson
Virginia - Joey Blount
Washington - Elijah Molden
West Virginia - Sean Mahone
Western Kentucky - Steven Witchoskey
Western Michigan - Mike Caliendo
Wisconsin - Jack Coan
Wyoming - Skyler Miller
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