NOTRE DAME, Indiana — University of Notre Dame senior offensive lineman Robert Hainsey has been named a candidate for the William V. Campbell Trophy, recognizing the nation’s top football senior scholar-athlete.
Nominees for the award must be in their final year of playing eligibility and have at least a 3.2 GPA. Significant football contributions, superior academic application and performance and exemplary leadership and citizenship are also taken into account.
Hainsey, a 2019 team captain and four-time SWAT captain, enters his true senior campaign following a season in which he did not allow a sack on 423 snaps (252 pass plays), conceding just two QB hits and six QB hurries. He started the first eight games before suffering a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech, and was honored as team Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was named to the Pro Football Focus National Offensive Team of The Week (2019 Week 5 vs. Virginia) and the Irish Offensive Line was named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll.
In 2018, Hainsey started all 13 games in a season that saw Notre Dame make an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The offense totaled 5,721 yards of total offense with 3347 passing yards (8.0 avg) and 2,374 rushing yards (4.4 avg), with the Irish outscoring opponents 408-237. Notre Dame completed an undefeated regular season, and the offensive line paved the way for Dexter Williams to lead the team with 941 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs, surpassing 100 rushing yards in four games, including 202 and two TDs vs. Florida State.
In 2017, Hainsey’s true freshman season, he saw action in all 13 games and started one contest (vs. LSU) at right tackle. Hainsey was part of an offensive line that won the coveted Joe Moore Award, given annually to the “toughest, most physical offensive line in the country”.
In addition to awarding the 31st Campbell Trophy®, the NFF will also select its 62nd National Scholar-Athlete Class from among all divisions of college football. Selected in October, the finalists and the winner are all honored at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner presented by ETT in December at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.
Each finalist receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. During the event, one member of the class is selected as the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® presented by Mazda as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and has his postgraduate scholarship increased to a total of $25,000.
Following the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda is honored at several prestigious events. On the Wednesday following the Dinner, the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the official home of the trophy, hosts a luncheon in his honor. From there, he heads directly to Atlanta for ESPN’s “The Home Depot College Football Awards” at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday, where he is interviewed live during the show. Finally, he is honored on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.