Eastern Michigan Athletics
Odukoya Named As A Semifinalist for the 2020 William Campell Trophy
10/1/2020 11:01:00 AM | Football
In its 31st year, the award is given to the nation's best overall football scholar-athlete
IRVING, Texas (EMUEagles.com) –The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced today, Oct. 1, an all-time record of 199 semifinalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, an award given the best scholar-athlete in all of college football. On the semifinal list is Eastern Michigan University senior captain and tight end, Thomas Odukoya (Almere, Netherlands-Helen Parkhurst-Garden City C.C.).
Celebrating its 31st year, the award 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-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
Nominated by individual 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.
Odukoya received Academic All-MAC honors in 2019 after appearing in all 13 games that EMU played. The Netherlands-born playmaker earned seven starts for the Eagles. He made a season-high 10-yard catch at Central Michigan (Oct. 5). Most recently, Odukoya was named a Fourth Team All-MAC Preseason All-MAC honoree by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, July 13.
In July, he was selected to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List for the second consecutive season. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end. He was also one of seven Mid-American Conference student-athletes named to the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist. The honor is known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service." Odukoya also earned preseason All-MAC honors on Athlon Sports' release from July.
Odukoya was also selected as one of two team captains of the EMU football team for the upcoming 2020 season, an honor earned via a vote by team leadership and staff.
For the most up-to-date information regarding the results of the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, and all things EMU football, continue to visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUFB.SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE
Celebrating its 31st year, the award 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-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, having his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000 and receiving his own 25-pound-bronze version of the iconic statue.
Nominated by individual 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.
Odukoya received Academic All-MAC honors in 2019 after appearing in all 13 games that EMU played. The Netherlands-born playmaker earned seven starts for the Eagles. He made a season-high 10-yard catch at Central Michigan (Oct. 5). Most recently, Odukoya was named a Fourth Team All-MAC Preseason All-MAC honoree by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, July 13.
In July, he was selected to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List for the second consecutive season. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end. He was also one of seven Mid-American Conference student-athletes named to the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist. The honor is known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service." Odukoya also earned preseason All-MAC honors on Athlon Sports' release from July.
Odukoya was also selected as one of two team captains of the EMU football team for the upcoming 2020 season, an honor earned via a vote by team leadership and staff.
For the most up-to-date information regarding the results of the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, and all things EMU football, continue to visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMUFB.
SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE
2020 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® PRESENTED BY MAZDA
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
| SCHOOL | NAME |
| Air Force | Ben Peterson |
| Alabama | Landon Dickerson |
| Appalachian State | Cole Garrison |
| Arkansas | Grant Morgan |
| Arkansas State | Forrest Merrill |
| Boise State | Kekaula Kaniho |
| Boston College | Zion Johnson |
| Bowling Green State | Matt Naranjo |
| Buffalo | Zac Lefebvre |
| California | Michael Saffell |
| Charlotte | Tyriq Harris |
| Cincinnati | James Smith |
| Clemson | Will Swinney |
| Coastal Carolina | Tarron Jackson |
| Colorado | Matt Lynch |
| Connecticut | Brian Keating |
| Duke | Michael Carter II |
| East Carolina | Jake Verity |
| Eastern Michigan | Thomas Odukoya |
| Florida | Jeremiah Moon |
| Florida Atlantic | John Mitchell |
| Fresno State | Matt Smith |
| Georgia | Prather Hudson |
| Georgia Southern | Shai Werts |
| Georgia State | Jonathan Ifedi |
| Houston | Kyle Porter |
| Illinois | Blake Hayes |
| Indiana | Harry Crider |
| Iowa State | Chase Allen |
| Kansas | Sam Burt |
| Kansas State | Tyler Burns |
| Kentucky | Luke Fortner |
| Louisiana | Cameron Solomon |
| LSU | Liam Shanahan |
| Memphis | Brady White |
| Michigan | Will Hart |
| Michigan State | Dom Long |
| Minnesota | Conner Olson |
| Mississippi | Luke Logan |
| Mississippi State | K.J. Costello |
| Navy | Cameron Kinley |
| Nebraska | Ben Stille |
| Nevada | Sam Hammond |
| New Mexico State | Jared Wyatt |
| Northern Illinois | Matt Ference |
| Northwestern | Tyler Gilliken |
| Notre Dame | Robert Hainsey |
| Ohio State | Drue Chrisman |
| Oklahoma State | Logan Carter |
| Old Dominion | Jordan Young |
| Oregon | Brady Breeze |
| Oregon State | Andrzej Hughes-Murray |
| Pittsburgh | Jimmy Morrissey |
| Rice | Blaze Alldredge |
| Rutgers | Billy Taylor |
| San Jose State | Jack Snyder |
| South Alabama | Brian Ankerson |
| South Carolina | Parker White |
| South Florida | Trent Schneider |
| Southern California | Erik Krommenhoek |
| Southern Methodist | Tyler Page |
| Southern Mississippi | Jack Abraham |
| Stanford | Jet Toner |
| Syracuse | Kingsley Jonathan |
| Temple | Isaiah Graham-Mobley |
| Tennessee | Brandon Kennedy |
| Texas | Sam Ehlinger |
| Texas A&M | Dan Moore Jr. |
| Texas at San Antonio | Hunter Duplessis |
| Texas Tech | McLane Mannix |
| Toledo | Bryce Harris |
| Troy | Cameron Kaye |
| Tulane | Chase Kuerschen |
| UAB | Jacob Fuqua |
| UCF | Greg McCrae |
| UNLV | Charles Williams |
| Utah | Drew Lisk |
| Utah State | Chase Nelson |
| Virginia | Joey Blount |
| Washington | Elijah Molden |
| West Virginia | Sean Mahone |
| Western Kentucky | Steven Witchoskey |
| Western Michigan | Mike Caliendo |
| Wisconsin | Jack Coan |
| Wyoming | Skyler Miller |
About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Mazda, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
About The National College Football Awards Association
The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
Players Mentioned
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