10 SEC players named among semifinalists for academic Heisman

Ten SEC players on Wednesday were among 181 players named semifinalists for this year’s William V. Campbell Trophy, commonly referred to as the academic Heisman.

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame made the announcement, and said 12-14 finalists would be announced on Nov. 1.

The finalists will travel to New York City for the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.

“These 181 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said in a press release. “It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”

Each school can nominate one player each. Students 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 made up of a group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

Among the highlights of this class overall, it has an average GPA of 3.59, there are eight players that have a perfect 4.0 GPA, 27 are academic All-Americans, 114 captains and 76 all-conference picks.

Here are the SEC players named as finalists:

Auburn – Daniel Carlson
Florida – Johnny Townsend
Georgia – Jeb Blazevich
Kentucky – Austin MacGinnis
LSU – Danny Etling
Mississippi – Gary Wunderlich
Mississippi State – Martinas Rankin
South Carolina – Cory Helms
Tennessee – Todd Kelly Jr.
Vanderbilt – Tommy Openshaw

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.