IRVING, Texas – Illinois State senior quarterback and captain Jake Kolbe was recognized as part of one of the most impressive groups of scholar-athletes in the history of college football, when The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced the 179 semifinalists for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy®. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
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.
"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."
A two-year starter at quarterback, Kolbe was named a 2018 captain by his peers for the second-straight year. The Naperville, Illinois, native was a two-year starter and helped ISU to back‐to‐back FCS playoff appearances in 2015‐16 and a share of the MVFC title in 2015. In 36 career games, Kolbe has passed for 5,166 yards (6th all‐time at ISU) and 36 passing touchdowns (7th all‐time at ISU) and ranks third in school history with a 59.5 career completion percentage.
Kolbe, who maintains a 3.67 cumulative grade-point average as a physical education/teacher education major, is a two‐time recipient of the Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award (2015‐16, 2016‐17) and was also honored with the Impact Award, which is given to a student‐athlete who embodies a commitment to excellence at ISU's annual awards ceremony, The Reggies. He is also a two‐time honoree by the Illinois State School of Kinesiology and Recreation (2017‐18) for his excellence in the classroom.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th 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.
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.
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