LOGAN, Utah – Utah State senior safety/linebacker
Jontrell Rocquemore has been named as one of 179 semifinalists for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, it was announced Tuesday by The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each one of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
"These 179 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "For 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful 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."
Through the first four games of the season, Rocquemore has recorded 28 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, and two quarterback hurries. In Utah State's 42-32 victory over Air Force last weekend, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder finished with a career-high 13 tackles.
The son of Ron and Chenetha Rocquemore is majoring in sociology and political science with a minor in law and constitutional studies. He is a three-time academic all-Mountain West recipient. Some of his community service involvement includes going to elementary schools and parades. Rocquemore is also on the Sexual Assault Task Force at Utah State.
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.5 million.
"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees, as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."
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.
Utah State (3-1, 1-0 MW) has its only bye of the season this week before stepping out of conference play for the final time to face in-state rival BYU on Friday, Oct. 5, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The game is slated to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.
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