The list of semifinalists for the William V. Campbell trophy are a who's who of the best student-athletes in college football, every single year. For the third straight season, Hillsdale College has a player who made the cut in senior defensive lineman Hunter Sperling.

The Campbell Trophy, awarded annually by the National Football Foundation, is considered by many to be the "Academic" Heisman and one of the most prestigious honors a college football player can receive. Celebrating its 36th year, the Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

Sperling is one of 177 players from all classifications of college football under consideration for the Campbell Trophy. It's an elite group of student athletes with an average 3.60 GPA, 13 Academic All-Americans, 20 All-Americans, 111 team captains and 94 all-conference picks.

"This year's 177 semifinalists represent the very best of what it means to play college football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They have excelled in the classroom, distinguished themselves on the field, and proven to be leaders in their communities. The Campbell Trophy® stands as a reminder that football develops complete individuals, and these young men embody that tradition at the highest level."

Sperling fits in well on the list of nominees as a three-year starter and impact player defensively for the Chargers. He's been a difference-maker against both the pass and the run as a defensive tackle, earning first team All-G-MAC honors as a junior with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, numbers that also earned him Hillsdale's Defensive Lineman of the Year award. Sperling has been named one of Hillsdale's three captains for the 2025 campaign, and, if his senior year is off to a slower start statistically than 2024, game plans from opposing teams that seem determined to avoid the middle of the line and keep the play out of his area of influence have a lot to do with that.

As impressive as he's been on the field, Sperling has matched and exceeded that performance in the classroom. An Economics major, Sperling has a cumulative GPA of 3.86 in a rigorous field of study at Hillsdale College, and is a two-time recipient of Hillsdale's President's Scholar-Athlete Award, as well as a four-time Academic All-G-MAC honoree and a 2024 CSC Academic All-District recipient.

He's also a leader in the community representing the Chargers, as one of the leaders of Hillsdale's "Guys with Ties" program working with local fourth graders to promote a positive self-image, etiquette and respect for others, and also a student leader for Hillsdale's "Be The Match/NMDP" Bone Marrow registry drive, helping add hundreds of new names to the list every spring. He's also been active with the Chargers' Victory Day program, working with people with special needs in the community, and with the Wreaths Across America program that helps to honor deceased military veterans by putting wreaths on their graves during Christmastime.

From the 177 semifinalists, the NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 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 36th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, NFF College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

"We are honored to celebrate such an extraordinary group of student-athletes as semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy®," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Their accomplishments reflect the lasting impact of our game — building character, discipline, and leadership, extending far beyond football. Selecting finalists from this outstanding class will be a tremendous challenge, but it's a challenge that underscores the unique prestige of this award."