COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has been named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award, it was announced on Wednesday.
Celebrating its 34th year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
In addition to excelling on the field, Tagovailoa owned a 3.61 GPA while earning a degree in Family Science from Maryland during the winter of 2022. The record-setting quarterback was also named Academic All-Big Ten in 2022 and selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in 2021.
An Ewa Beach, Hawaii native, Tagovailoa owns 11 major Maryland single-season and career passing records, including career passing yards (8,991), completions (752) and passing touchdowns (59). Tagovailoa, who has led the Terrapins to back-to-back bowl victories and a 4-0 start to the 2023 season, was voted by his teammates as a team captain in both 2021 and 2022.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy must 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.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 65th year in 2022. The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013, and the winner is honored each year during a special reception at the storied venue.
Tagovailoa and the Terps host Indiana on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. Big Ten East battle airing live on the Big Ten Network and the Maryland Sports Radio Network.
