2026 NFF Hampshire Honor Society Announcement

For the second time in the past five seasons, the Hillsdale College football team is the best in the nation in earning spots in the prestigious National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

The NFF inducted 17 Chargers from the 2025 squad into the Hampshire Honor Society on Wednesday afternoon, the organization announced on Wednesday.  The Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.

This class, the 20th in the history of the Hampshire Honor Society, includes a record-setting 2,596 players from 365 schools, and brings the total number of student-athletes honored by the program to 23,568 since 2007.

"Twenty years ago, college coaches around the country came to the National Football Foundation asking us to recognize not just their top student-athlete, but the numerous student-athletes on their teams who were also excelling at the highest levels in the classroom," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Their voices led to the creation of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, and two decades later, the results speak for themselves. Year after year, we continue to see remarkable academic achievements across college football."

Hillsdale's total of 17 was the most among all NCAA DII institutions and also the largest number of honorees for the Chargers in program history, surpassing the previous high total of 15 honorees in 2022, when Hillsdale also led all of NCAA DII in terms of recognized student-athletes.

Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must have:

• Completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2025;
• • Graduated players, who have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football), may also be nominated.
• Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale);
• Met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements; and
• Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2025 season

"To see this program reach 20 years with a record number of honorees is really special," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "As the world of college football faces an era of transition, one thing remains the same: the game's ability to develop well-rounded student-athletes committed to excellence in the classroom as well as on the field. The NFF Hampshire Honor Society provides an important platform for us to recognize the value of the game in developing leaders while shining a light on their individual accomplishments."
 

2026 Hillsdale College National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society Inductees

POS.	NAME	HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
OL	Billy Collins	Madison Heights, MI/Lamphere
OL	Carter Cushman	Plainwell, MI/Plainwell
WR	David Dorn	West Chicago, IL/Wheaton Academy
WR	Zac Harris	Maumee, OH/Maumee
LB	Carson Ingram	Shelby, OH/Shelby
LB	Aidan Kowatch	Caledonia, MI/Caledonia
TE	Noah Larrick	New Concord, OH/John Glenn
LB	Jake Maloney	Lansing, MI/Lansing Catholic
K	Evan Mick	Sterling Heights, MI/Parkway Christian
WR	Connor Pratt	Van Wert, OH/Van Wert
LB	Connor Quake	Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers
RB	Kyle Riffel	Mishawaka, IN/Penn
WR	Joe Schmidt	Muskego, WI/Brookfield Academy
QB	Reid Shumaker	Fenton, MI/Lake Fenton
DL	Hunter Sperling	Palos Heights, IL/Chicago Christian
OL	Ryan Strasser	Westland, MI/Livonia Franklin
DB	Jack Trachet	Pinckney, MI/Pinckney