TEMPE, Ariz. – Senior punter Matt Haack has been listed as a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday. The annual trophy recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Haack, a business sports and media major in the W.P Carey School of Business, holds a 3.44 cumulative GPA and is also a member of the Barrett Honors College. During the course of his Sun Devil career, Haack has earned First-Team All-Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2015 and was All-Pac-12 Academic honorable mention in 2014. In 2015, he also earned the Pat Tillman Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.
On the field, Haack was listed on the 2016 Ray Guy Award preseason watch list, making him one of the best punters in college football. So far this season, he's averaging 47.2 yards on 11 punts, which would rank seventh in the country according to The Football Database. Seven of his 11 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line with the opposing team accumulating just one yard on returns.
"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. "It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
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 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 will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27thWilliam V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Haack, a business sports and media major in the W.P Carey School of Business, holds a 3.44 cumulative GPA and is also a member of the Barrett Honors College. During the course of his Sun Devil career, Haack has earned First-Team All-Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2015 and was All-Pac-12 Academic honorable mention in 2014. In 2015, he also earned the Pat Tillman Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.
On the field, Haack was listed on the 2016 Ray Guy Award preseason watch list, making him one of the best punters in college football. So far this season, he's averaging 47.2 yards on 11 punts, which would rank seventh in the country according to The Football Database. Seven of his 11 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line with the opposing team accumulating just one yard on returns.
"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. "It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
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 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 will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27thWilliam V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.