The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced its semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy on Wednesday, and Montana State and Montana each had a representative on the list.
MSU's Troy Andersen, a Dillon native, and UM's Dylan Cook, a Butte native, made up two of the three selections from the Big Sky Conference (Northern Arizona's DJ Arnson was the third). There are 176 semifinalists total across all levels of college football, from FBS to the NAIA.
The William V. Campbell Trophy has been awarded by the foundation since 1990 and is considered the premier academic award for college football players. The award is also known as the "Academic Heisman."
According to the foundation's website, the players are 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 NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The finalists will travel to the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 7, where the winner will be announced.
