FAYETTEVILLE — There’s one SEC football player among 13 finalists nationally for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is also known as the Academic Heisman.
The SEC finalist is not from Vanderbilt.
It’s University of Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan, a super senior and a former walk-on from Greenwood who earned All-SEC and All-American honors last season when he made 111 tackles in nine games.
The Campbell Trophy is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame to the individual who best combines academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Finalists were announced on Wednesday.
Among Morgan’s qualifications to win the Campbell Trophy are that he is a team captain, has 60 tackles this season and already has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and master’s degree in operations management. His grade point average is 3.66.
Morgan is the first Razorback to be a finalist for the Campbell Trophy since linebacker Brooks Ellis in 2016.
The National Football Foundation had a list of 176 semifinalists in September, so Morgan beat out 163 other players to become a finalist.
“I thought it was really cool [for Morgan],” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday. “To be nominated for that award, certainly you have to be a well-rounded student-athlete.
“Certainly he’s deserving of [being a finalist], and I’m really excited for him and the team. I thought it was a big, big honor.”
Each of this year’s finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The finalists will attend the 63rd National Football Foundation Awards dinner on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas, where the Campbell Trophy winner will be announced and have his post-graduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
“I’m sure there are lot of other deserving guys in our league,” Pittman said of Morgan being the SEC’s representative. “But to be the only one is really an outstanding honor.”
The other 12 Campbell Trophy finalists are Montana State linebacker Troy Anderson; Stanford defensive end Thomas Booker; Western Michigan offensive lineman Mike Caliendo; Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) quarterback Cameron Dukes; Oklahoma defensive back Patrick Fields; Wisconsin defensive end Matt Henningsen; Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson; Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.) linebacker Joshua King; Iowa State tight end Charlie Kolar; Slippery Rock (Pa.) wide receiver Henry Litwin; and West Virginia safety Shane Mahone.