Irving, Texas – Freshman offensive lineman Corey Stephens was named as one of 35 finalists for the 2017 NFF Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards, which will honor one young man from each of the country's five regions as the best and the brightest for their accomplishments as athletes, scholars and citizens at the high school level.
Stephens, a Scottsdale, Ariz., native, graduated from Saguaro high school last year where he excelled on and off the field. He joined the Sun Devils as a consensus three-star prospect amongst the major recruiting services. PrepStar Magazine named him to its All-West Region team while he was also tabbed by Scout as the No. 46 offensive guard prospect in the country and the No. 1 offensive guard prospect in Arizona.
The finalists all graduated from high school in 2017 and are now playing college football. A national committee will select the five honorees, who will be announced Oct. 4.
The five NFF Chapter Scholar-Athletes selected by the committee, will travel to New York City to be honored during the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the New York Hilton Midtown. First bestowed in 1991, the NFF Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards have become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement.
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. The centerpiece of their efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation's top scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in scholarships.