UH, Rice Student-Athletes Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalists

HOUSTON, TX — Two students from the University of Houston and Rice University were nominated Wednesday for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy, one of college football’s most prestigious scholar-athlete awards.

Houston linebacker Donavan Mutin and Rice defensive end Trey Schuman joined 174 other college football players nominated for their strong athletic performance, good grades and leadership abilities. On Oct. 27, the National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists, who will each win an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. On Dec. 7, the winner of the 32nd Campbell Trophy will be announced at a star-studded awards dinner at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The winner’s postgraduate scholarship will be increased to $25,000.

Once the finalists are announced, the foundation will also donate $5,000 to academic support services at each of their schools, and present a plaque to a designated faculty athletic representative.

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Mutin leads Houston with 25 tackles this season, including two for losses. The junior from Spring is studying health promotion and has a 3.51 GPA.

Schuman, a co-captain for the Owls, had a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss last season and has 13 tackles through three games in 2021. The redshirt junior has a 3.78 GPA in his undergraduate studies in economics and is enrolled in the MBA program at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business. He is a two-time winner of the James Glanville Award for his combination of athletic and academic achievement and is the second Rice player to receive to the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Medal four times, according to a news release.

Here are the ten other student-athletes from Texas colleges named Campbell Trophy semifinalists:

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)

• Jalen Pitre, Baylor
• Hayden Howerton, SMU
• Cameron Dicker, Texas
• Hunter Duplessis, UTSA

Division II

• Alex Shillow, Texas A&M-Commerce
• Brandon Blair, West Texas A&M

Division III

• KJ Kelley, East Texas Baptist
• Cameron Hanna, Hardin-Simmons
• Sante Parker, Mary Hardin-Baylor
• Juan Ocampo, Texas Lutheran

The Campbell Trophy is named after the late William V. Campbell, the head coach of the Columbia University football team, and later a business executive and tech industry professional mentor. Dubbed the “Coach of Silicon Valley,” Campbell mentored Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Sheryl Sandberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and many others.

The winners of his namesake trophy represent the “scholar-athlete ideal” through success on and off the field.

“For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have honored more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said in a news release. Manning’s son Peyton, a former quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, won both a Campbell Trophy and an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award in 1997. Manning’s other son Eli, a former quarterback for the New York Giants, was a National Scholar-Athlete in 2003.

“This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders,” Manning said.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (2020), Miami Dolphins defensive end Christian Wilkins (2018), former Jet and Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (2009) and dozens of other NFL greats have won the trophy since it was first awarded in 1990. Past recipients have also included two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks, according to an NFF news release.

Each school is able to nominate just one player. To be eligible, candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and demonstrate “outstanding football ability” and “strong leadership and citizenship.”

This year’s nominees have an average GPA of 3.66, according to the NFF. The list includes five nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA, 65 with a GPA of 3.7 or better, 107 team captains, 97 All-Conference picks and 22 All-American players, among many other distinctions.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," 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."

See here for the full announcement and list of semifinalists from the National Football Foundation.