The National Football Foundation announced 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.
A full press release with additional information from the NFF is included below.
IRVING, Texas (Sept. 28, 2022) – 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
“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:
2022 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)Alabama – Darrian DalcourtAppalachian State – Tyler BirdArkansas – Trey KnoxAuburn – Anders CarlsonBaylor – Dillon DoyleBoise State – John OjukwuBowling Green – Matt McDonaldBrigham Young – Clark BarringtonBuffalo – Alex McNultyCalifornia – Matthew CindricCentral Michigan – Robi StuartClemson – K.J. HenryColorado – Daniel AriasDuke – DeWayne CarterEastern Michigan – Dylan DrummondFlorida State – Wyatt RectorGeorgia – Jack PodlesnyGeorgia State – Seth GlausierGeorgia Tech – Dylan LeonardIllinois – Alex PihlstromIndiana – Beau RobbinsIowa – Jack CampbellIowa State – Jared RusKansas – Sam BurtKansas State – Adrian MartinezKentucky – Colin GoodfellowLiberty – Cooper McCawMemphis – Quindell JohnsonMiami (FL) – Lou HedleyMichigan – Jake MoodyMiddle Tennessee – Jordan PalmerMississippi State – Austin WilliamsMissouri – Barrett BanisterNavy – John MarshallNebraska – Travis VokolekNorth Carolina State – Tim McKayNorthern Illinois – Michael KennedyNorthwestern – Charlie MangieriNotre Dame – Josh LuggOhio State – Bradley RobinsonOklahoma – Drake StoopsOklahoma State – Tom HuttonOld Dominion – Zack KuntzOregon – Alex ForsythOregon State – Jack CollettoPenn State – Jonathan SutherlandPittsburgh – Habakkuk BaldonadoRice – Wiley GreenRutgers – Adam KorsakSan Jose State – Tre JenkinsSMU – Tanner MordecaiSouth Carolina – Jovaughn GwynSouth Florida – Brad CecilSouthern California – Nick FigueroaStanford – Walter RouseSyracuse – Dakota DavisTCU – Dominic DiNunzioTennessee – Paxton BrooksTexas – Roschon JohnsonTexas at San Antonio – Ahofitu MakaTexas State – Russell BakerTexas Tech – Marquis WatersTroy – Austin StidhamTulane – Nick AndersonUCF – Alex WardUCLA – Shea PittsUtah – R.J. HubertUtah State – Chandler DolphinVirginia – Brendan FarrellWake Forest – Michael JurgensWashington – Edefuan UlofoshioWashington State – Brennan JacksonWestern Michigan – Dylan Deatherage
Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)Brown – Lucas FerraroBucknell – Brent JacksonColumbia – Stewart NewblattCornell – Jake StebbinsDartmouth – Nick HowardDavidson – Bradyn OakleyDayton – Jake ChisholmEastern Illinois – Isaiah HillFordham – Ryan GreenhagenGeorgetown – Mac HollensteinerHarvard – Truman JonesHoly Cross – Peter OliverHouston Christian – Brennan YoungJacksonville State – Zack CangelosiLamar – Luke WallisMaine – Michael GeraceMarist – Mike ArringtonMontana – Robby HauckNew Hampshire – Niko KvietkusNicholls – Glen ThurmondNorfolk State – Marquis HallNorth Dakota – Cade PetersonNorthern Arizona – Anthony SweeneyNorthwestern State – Kaleb FletcherPrinceton – Michael Ruttlen Jr.Sacramento State – Abel OrdazSouth Dakota State – Reece WinkelmanSt. Thomas – Seth BickettStetson – Ethan HullStonehill – David SatkowskiStony Brook – Kyle NunezTennessee Tech – Seth CarlisleTexas A&M-Commerce – Michael NobleUC Davis – Jayce SmalleyWilliam & Mary – Carlton FowlerYale – Oso IfesinachukwuYoungstown State – Griffin Hoak
Division IIAshland (OH) – Austin BrennerBenedict (SC) – Ja’Ron KilpatrickBentley (MA) – Jailen BranchCalifornia (PA) – Noel BrouseColorado State Pueblo – Max GonzalesHarding (AR) – Grant FitzhughMinnesota State – Jalen SampleOuachita Baptist (AR) – Peyton StaffordPittsburg State (KS) – P.J. SarwinskiSlippery Rock (PA) – Noah GroverSouthern Arkansas – Austin WilkersonWayne State (MI) – Julius WilkersonWingate (NC) – Trevor Grant
Division IIIAllegheny (PA) – Hudson AlreadBates (ME) – Tony HooksBerry (GA) – Jake WeitkampChicago (IL) – Nicholas D’AmbroseDePauw (IN) – Danny SheehanGallaudet (DC) – Laron ThomasHampden-Sydney (VA) – Michael HarrisHardin-Simmons (TX) – Cody HarralHobart (NY) – Cade FrucciHope (MI) – Daniel RomanoJohns Hopkins (MD) – JR WoodsLake Forest (IL) – Dante EspositoLycoming (PA) – Cole SeniorMary Hardin-Baylor (TX) – Sante Parker Jr.Middlebury (VT) – Gregory LivingstonMillsaps (MS) – Nic HayesRhodes (TN) – Reggie MatthewsSaint John’s (MN) – Michael WozniakShenandoah (VA) – Mason CaldwellSpringfield (MA) – Lou CocozzaSusquehanna (PA) – Elijah HoffmanTrinity (CT) – Aidan KennedyTufts (MA) – Johnathan OnealWashington & Jefferson (PA) – Alexander KeithWaynesburg (PA) – Tyler RainesWesleyan (CT) – Matt SimcoWisconsin Lutheran – Brevin JegerlehnerWisconsin-Stout – Sean BorgerdingWooster (OH) – Lake Barrett
NAIADakota State (SD) – Travis RebstockMorningside (IA) – Joe DolincheckRocky Mountain (MT) – Andrew SimonSouthwestern (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)
