Eastern Michigan Athletics
Twelve Eastern Michigan Football Players Named to 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society
4/16/2025 1:03:00 PM | Football
Eagles rank among national and MAC leaders in academic excellence
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University leads the Mid-American Conference with 12 football student-athletes named to the 2025 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, as announced by the NFF and College Football Hall of Fame today, April 16. The honor recognizes college football players from all divisions who maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers while serving as starters or significant contributors.
This year's class marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that EMU has produced at least five honorees, and the largest group ever recognized from EMU in a single year.
The 12 Eagles selected were Jefferson Adam (Ypsilanti, Mich./Washtenaw International/Hocking College/Iowa State), Blake Bustard (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores/Wayne State), Blake Daniels (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North/Davenport), Jere Getzinger (West Branch, Mich./Ogemaw Heights), Donovan Green (Palmetto, La./Opelousas Catholic/Northwestern State), Hans Lillis (Gwynedd Valley, Pa./Germantown Academy/Boston College), Luke Murphy (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Washington/Kent State), Kendric Nowling (Chicago, Ill./Marist), Broderick Roman (Lansing, Mich./Okemos), Quentavius Scandrett (Lovejoy, Ga./Lovejoy), Cole Snyder (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern/Rutgers/Buffalo), and Joey Zelinsky (Cressona, Pa./Blue Mountain/Hudson Valley CC).
With 12 honorees, Eastern Michigan ranks second among all Mid-American Conference programs, trailing only Northern Illinois University, which led the league with 14. EMU also ranks among an elite group of just 22 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs nationwide to have 10 or more players recognized in this year's class.
Nationwide, a record-setting 2,532 student-athletes from 339 schools were honored, the most in the 19-year history of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Since its inception in 2007, the initiative has recognized over 20,000 players for academic excellence.
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."
"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically, and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
This year's class marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that EMU has produced at least five honorees, and the largest group ever recognized from EMU in a single year.
The 12 Eagles selected were Jefferson Adam (Ypsilanti, Mich./Washtenaw International/Hocking College/Iowa State), Blake Bustard (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores/Wayne State), Blake Daniels (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North/Davenport), Jere Getzinger (West Branch, Mich./Ogemaw Heights), Donovan Green (Palmetto, La./Opelousas Catholic/Northwestern State), Hans Lillis (Gwynedd Valley, Pa./Germantown Academy/Boston College), Luke Murphy (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Washington/Kent State), Kendric Nowling (Chicago, Ill./Marist), Broderick Roman (Lansing, Mich./Okemos), Quentavius Scandrett (Lovejoy, Ga./Lovejoy), Cole Snyder (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern/Rutgers/Buffalo), and Joey Zelinsky (Cressona, Pa./Blue Mountain/Hudson Valley CC).
With 12 honorees, Eastern Michigan ranks second among all Mid-American Conference programs, trailing only Northern Illinois University, which led the league with 14. EMU also ranks among an elite group of just 22 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs nationwide to have 10 or more players recognized in this year's class.
Nationwide, a record-setting 2,532 student-athletes from 339 schools were honored, the most in the 19-year history of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Since its inception in 2007, the initiative has recognized over 20,000 players for academic excellence.
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."
"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically, and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
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