Graduate linebacker Drue Tranquill has been named a finalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the nation's top scholar-athlete. The award is also widely known as the "Academic Heisman."
Tranquill will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, and he will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 4. At the event, one member of the 13-member class will be declared the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. T
A two-time captain and graduate student, Tranquill has thrived both on and off the field in his time at Notre Dame. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native becomes the 18th NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Notre Dame's history. He ranks second in tackles in 2018 with 47 (38 solo, nine assists) for the third-ranked Irish while he's added six tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one sack. The standout linebacker has been a key part of Notre Dame's perfect 8-0 start this season and a leader on a defense that is holding opponents to just 19.1 points per game.
Tranquill graduated in May 2018 with an impressive 3.73 GPA in mechanical engineering. A 2016 First Team Academic All-American, Tranquill was named a First Team Academic All-District selection three times. A two-time recipient of Notre Dame's Rockne Student-Athlete Award, he is a five-time member of the Dean's List, and he has been inducted into the Pi Tau Sigma engineering honorary.
Candidates for the award must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of 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.
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.
Notre Dame has had a finalist four times in the past 12 years (Tranquill in 2018, LB Manti Te'o in 2012, OL Chris Stewart in 2010 and TE John Carlson in 2007).
The Campbell Trophy® is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a former player and head coach at Columbia University, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. The award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $241,000 in scholarships will be awarded Dec. 4, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $11.5 million.
Tranquill will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, and he will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 4. At the event, one member of the 13-member class will be declared the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. T
A two-time captain and graduate student, Tranquill has thrived both on and off the field in his time at Notre Dame. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native becomes the 18th NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Notre Dame's history. He ranks second in tackles in 2018 with 47 (38 solo, nine assists) for the third-ranked Irish while he's added six tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one sack. The standout linebacker has been a key part of Notre Dame's perfect 8-0 start this season and a leader on a defense that is holding opponents to just 19.1 points per game.
Tranquill graduated in May 2018 with an impressive 3.73 GPA in mechanical engineering. A 2016 First Team Academic All-American, Tranquill was named a First Team Academic All-District selection three times. A two-time recipient of Notre Dame's Rockne Student-Athlete Award, he is a five-time member of the Dean's List, and he has been inducted into the Pi Tau Sigma engineering honorary.
Candidates for the award must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of 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.
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.
Notre Dame has had a finalist four times in the past 12 years (Tranquill in 2018, LB Manti Te'o in 2012, OL Chris Stewart in 2010 and TE John Carlson in 2007).
The Campbell Trophy® is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a former player and head coach at Columbia University, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal. The award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $7,000 increase in postgraduate funds for a total scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $241,000 in scholarships will be awarded Dec. 4, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $11.5 million.
