BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football quarterback Austin Reed has been named a semifinalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
The Campbell Trophy is the premier scholar-athlete award, recognizing an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Reed transferred to WKU ahead of the 2022 season and finished as the FBS leader in passing yards, a year after WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe set single-season FBS records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Reed was named the 2022 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year for his success, in addition to his many other accolades, and entered the 2023 season as the CUSA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Through four games this fall, the redshirt senior from St. Augustine Beach, Florida, has thrown for 1,071 yards and nine touchdowns on 101-of-160 passing with just one interception. Reed has also rushed for 44 yards and two scores on 17 attempts.Â
The Campbell Trophy is in its 34th year and boasts an impressive group of semifinalists. The 201 semifinalists for the 2023 award eclipses the record of 199 nominees in 2000. The list of candidates hold an impressive 3.65 average GPA, with more than half – 121 of the 201 – of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor's degree, while five have earned a master's degree.
Reed is one of 108 All-Conference players on the list, and one of 89 nominees from the FBS level. Reed is one of 86 offensive players on the list of nominees.
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.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 25, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 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 34th Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
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