IRVING, Tex. – The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced the 156 semifinalists for the prestigious 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy®, also referred to as the “academic Heisman”, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award. The award recognizes an individual for their combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Among the 156 candidates and 13 nominees from Division II is Southern Arkansas graduate student Austin Wilkerson who is one of three from the Great American Conference, along with Harding’s Grant Fitzhugh and Ouachita Baptist’s Peyton Stafford. The GAC has the most representatives in the DII selections of any other conference. Wilkerson is among 93 nominees who have already attained their bachelor’s degree and is one of the 19 special teams players selected.
Wilkerson, a native of Dallas, Texas, has tabbed multiple academic and athletic accolades throughout his time in Magnolia. Wilkerson was named a D2CAA All-Super Region 3 Second Team and All-GAC First Team performer in both 2021 and 2019. He also received recognition as an Academic All-District honoree in 2019. He has been named the GAC special teams player of the week once in his career and is the only Mulerider kicker to receive the honor since 2016.
Last week, Wilkerson broke the record for the most field goals made, and stands in first with 41. He is one of just two kickers in program history with multiple seasons with 10+ field goals. He also holds the program record for the most consecutive extra points made in a season and is 1st all time for field goal percentage in a season (93.8%, 2019).
Off the field Wilkerson serves as a University Housing Assistant Resident Director and is involved in Muleriders in Magnolia Community Service.
“Austin is a tremendous asset and leader for our football team. He is a game changer. As impressive as his playing accolades are, what he has done in the classroom and how he carries himself off the field speaks volumes,” raves head coach Brad Smiley. “I am proud that he is a Mulerider and I am looking forward to him having another great year. He will play a big part in our success this season.”
Wilkerson graduated Magna Cum Laude in the spring of 2022 with his bachelor’s degree in Engineering and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Business Administration.
“The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the semifinalists as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments,” stated NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are extremely proud to highlight their achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates.”
The Muleriders are no stranger to the academic Heisman, having four athletes since 2013 represent the school in the semifinals. The most recent representation came from former quarterback Hayden Mallory who was selected as a semifinalist in both 2020 and 2021. Kile Pletcher was a semifinalist in 2018, Elgin Moore in 2017 and Tyler Sykora in 2013.
2022 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS NOTES
- 33rd year of the William V. Campbell Trophy®
- 64th year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments
- 156 Semifinalists
- 3.62 Average GPA
- 93 Nominees who have already earned their bachelor’s degrees
- 6 Nominees who have earned a master’s degree
- 4 Nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA
- 42 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
- 60 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or better
- 20 Academic All-America selections
- 97 Captains
- 23 All-Americans
- 81 All-Conference picks