Newberry’s Gantt, Tusculum’s NeSmith, Wingate’s Webber Named Semifinalists For Campbell Trophy

DALLAS -- Wingate University senior tight end Ryan Webber, Newberry College senior quarterback Brandon Gantt and Tusculum College senior tight end Jarrell NeSMith have been named semifinalists for the 20th anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy presented by the National Football Foundation, the NFF announced today.

In addition to their semifinalist candidacy for the Campbell Trophy (previously known as the Draddy Trophy), the three student-athletes are also eligible for a 2009 NFF Scholar-Athlete Award. A total of 154 semifinalists were announced; 15 football student-athletes from NCAA Division II made the list, with three of those from the South Atlantic Conference.

Semifinalists are nominated by their sports information directors. Semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a 3.2 GPA (or better), have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

The William V. Campbell Trophy was renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell. A learned scholar and accomplished athlete, Campbell is the chairman of Intuit and former player and head coach at Columbia University. He is the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. The 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy award winner receives a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.

The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner will have his scholarship increased to $25,000. The winners will be announced live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 8 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of $277,000 in scholarships will be awarded during this significant evening.

"On the heels of our recent announcement to rename our top scholar-athlete award in honor of Bill Campbell, we are incredibly proud to select the next winner from this remarkable group of semifinalists," NFF Chairman Archie Manning says. The NFL Hall of Famer should know, as Archie Manning's sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively.

"As one of the nation's most influential business leaders, Bill Campbell is a powerful example of football's unique ability to build leadership qualities in our young people," Archie Manning adds. "The semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy have already built track records that place them squarely in his footsteps."

"The Campbell Trophy semifinalists represent everything great about college football, having achieved excellence in all aspects of their lives," NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell says. "It is the NFF's duty to promote their accomplishments while encouraging future generations of gridiron standouts to aim high on and off the football field."

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. The William V. Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program's mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Heisman winner. The University of California's Alex Mack, a first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, was named the 2008 Campbell Trophy recipient.

In addition to the Manning brothers, notable NFF National Scholar-Athlete alumni include NFL standout Derrick Brooks (Florida State); actor Mark Harmon (UCLA); NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond); former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale); chairman of Augusta National Golf Club Billy Payne (Georgia); famed NFL quarterback Steve Young (BYU); and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker (Oregon State), Gary Beban (UCLA); Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida).

Ryan Webber

In 2008, Webber (Concord, N.C.) had 26 receptions for 408 yards and six touchdowns. The Charlotte Touchdown Club Scholarship recipient, Webber was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III football first team (college division), selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

On campus, Webber has served as the Sport Sciences Majors Club president. He has volunteered with the Special Olympics Field Day and the Wingate University Homecoming 5K (three years each).

In his hometown, Webber has served as a volunteer basketball referee at his local elementary school. He has helped his high school alma mater (Jay M. Robinson) as a volunteer football coach during summer drills.

"Ryan has always demonstrated the highest levels of effort and integrity," Wingate assistant professor of marketing Dr. Nancy Bush says. "His dedication to his class work as a student carried over to his athletic and on-campus relationships, which has resulted in Ryan setting very high expectations for himself in his academic, athletic and social activities."

Brandon Gantt

Gantt, a senior from Lexington, S.C., is Newberry's offensive team captain for 2009 and has already won the South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor twice this season. He has passed for over 1,000 yards through four games this season. He is currently in the top 10 in the Newberry record books in career passing yardage, attempts, completions and touchdowns, ranking ninth in Newberry College history with 2,412 career passing yards. He has had three games of over 250 yards passing this season. He is on pace to break into the top 10 in the Newberry record books in total offense, with 3,003 total yards in two full seasons and four games.

Off the field, Gantt is majoring in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Spanish., carrying a 3.962 grade point average. He is a member of the Southern Early Childhood Education Association, the Future Educators Association, the Newberry College Student-Athlete Advisory Council and the Kappa Delta Pi international honors society.

He has been a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in his previous two seasons and was an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Three First Team member in 2008. He mentors and tutors young students in Newberry and Columbia and is a Spanish and English tutor on campus. Gantt is also a member of the Newberry County Reading Council and the Education Student Advisory Committee.

Jarrell NeSmith

NeSmith, a 6-2, 215-pound senior from Russellville, Ala., has a 3.86 cumulative grade point average as a Pre-Medicine major. He was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Football for a second consecutive year in 2008, the SAC Male Presidents Award winner, which recognizes achievement in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. It is considered the most prestigious award presented by the conference. He was also named a regional finalist for the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association National Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

NeSmith was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Football for a second consecutive year last season and was tabbed to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Football Team last fall.

NeSmith was named an All-Conference First Team selection at tight end and caught 67 passes for 635 yards and seven touchdowns last year. His catch tally was the third-best in school history and he ranked second in the league in receptions per game. NeSmith was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team, the Daktronics Division II All-America Team, the D2Football.com All-America Team and the Football Gazette All-America Team.

He helped lead the Pioneers to a 9-4 record and the 2008 South Atlantic Conference Championship. The nine wins matched a school single-season record, while earning the program its first NCAA Division II Playoff berth. Tusculum advanced to the regional semifinal round and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the nation.

NeSmith earned the 2006-07 Duffield Award, presented to the Tusculum male student-athlete with the highest GPA and was the 2005-06 Tusculum Academic Freshman of the Year. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He is a member of the Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team for a second year in a row.

In the community, NeSmith has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-a-Highway and Drug Awareness program at Holston Homes for Children in Greeneville, Tenn. He also volunteers with the Lunch Buddies program at Doak Elementary School, which provides mentoring relationships between the Tusculum football players and the school children. He has spoken to youth and high school students on the importance of education and college life at South Greene High School in Greeneville and at the Chucky Mullins Center in Oxford, Miss.