Drue Tranquill

Tranquill Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

University of Notre Dame graduate student Drue Tranquill has been named a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, celebrating the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance.

A two-time captain and graduate student, Tranquill leads the eight-ranked Irish in tackles with 33 (27 solo, six assists) while he’s added three tackles for loss. He is on watch lists for the Butkus Award, Wuerffel Trophy and Lott Trophy. Tranquill was the team’s Rockne Student-Athlete of the Year in 2017 while being named a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and Pop Warner College Football Award and a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American in 2016 and an All-District selection in 2017 and 2015.

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.

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.

Tranquill and the Irish play host to No. 7 Stanford on Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff between the unbeaten rivals is 7:30 p.m ET on NBC.
 

2018 NFF WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS NOTES

  • 60th Year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Program
  • 29th Year of The William V. Campbell Trophy®
  • 179 Nominations
  • 3.62 Average GPA
  • Nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA
  • 51 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
  • 70 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or Better
  • 29 Academic All-America Selections
  • 114 Captains
  • 95 All-Conference Picks
  • 16 All-Americans
  • 63 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
  • 40 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
  • 25 Nominees from NCAA Division II
  • 41 Nominees from NCAA Division III
  • 10 Nominees from the NAIA
  • 81 Offensive Players
  • 81 Defensive Players
  • 17 Special Teams Players