LAWRENCE – University of Kansas super-senior Sam Burt has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premiere scholar-athlete award. Burt is one of 156 semifinalists for the award.
The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership, and the candidates also comprise the pool of nominees for the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments®.
Burt, of Abilene, has been a mainstay on the Kansas defensive line, playing in 49 career games for the Jayhawks, while starting in 13, including all four games in 2022. Off the field, Burt is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member, Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and has received recognition as a nominee on the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team and for the Wuerffel Trophy.
Burt is one of 156 semifinalists for the award, who boast an impressive 3.62 average cumulative GPA, with over half the semifinalists already earning their bachelor’s degrees.
Celebrating its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
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 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 Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program’s prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013, and the winner is honored each year during a special reception at the storied venue.
The 2022 Campbell Trophy semifinalists by division and position:
â—Ź73 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
â—Ź37 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
â—Ź13 Nominees from NCAA Division II. 29 Nominees from NCAA Division III
â—Ź4 Nominees from the NAIA
â—Ź72 Offensive Players
â—Ź65 Defensive Players
â—Ź19 Special Teams Players