22 Oct 2025 Harding football player a finalist for prestigious Campbell Trophy®

Posted at 10:22 PMh in Sports by

IRVING, Texas — The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame on Wednesday named 16 finalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award. Among them is Harding University defensive back Ty Dugger, making Harding history as the program’s first-ever National Scholar-Athlete selection.

Each finalist will automatically receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®.

Dugger, a senior accounting major from Searcy, Arkansas, was recognized for his exceptional on-field performance, academic success with a 3.92 GPA in accounting (plus a 4.0 in an accelerated information systems degree), and leadership.

Dugger has been key to the recent dominance of the Division II Bisons. He helped the team achieve a perfect 15-0 record and win the 2023 Division II National Championship, followed by a 12-2 campaign in 2024. A 2025 team captain, he is a two-time CSC First Team Academic All-American. His career totals include 130 tackles and 8 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns).

The 16 finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9. This event will highlight their accomplishments in front of a powerful audience in sports.

During the dinner, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy®, increasing that individual’s postgraduate scholarship to $25,000.

Following the Las Vegas event, the Campbell Trophy® recipient will be further honored on Friday, Dec. 12, during “The Home Depot College Football Awards” on ESPN, and then at a reception on Monday, Dec. 15, at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the trophy’s official home since 2013.

The 16 standouts were selected from 180 semifinalists nationwide:

  • Robby Ballentine, WR – DePauw (IN) // Biochemistry (3.92 GPA)
  • Jonah Coleman, RB – Washington // Education (3.91 GPA)
  • James Conway, LB – Fordham // Marketing Information Systems (3.71 GPA)
  • Jalon Daniels, QB – Kansas // Sport Management (3.58 GPA)
  • Ty Dugger, DB – Harding (AR) // Accounting (3.92 GPA)
  • Aaron Graves, DL – Iowa // Exercise Science (4.03 GPA)
  • Blake Horvath, QB – Navy // Operations Research (3.69 GPA)
  • Chandler Kirton, OL – Austin Peay // Management (3.92 GPA)
  • Trey Moore, LB – Texas // Physical Culture & Sports (3.65 GPA)
  • Red Murdock, LB – Buffalo // Psychology (3.46 GPA)
  • Parker Navarro, QB – Ohio // Integrated Health Studies (3.96 GPA)
  • Sawyer Robertson, QB – Baylor // Marketing (3.73 GPA)
  • Eli Stowers, TE – Vanderbilt // Individual Studies (3.92 GPA)
  • Jack Strand, QB – Minnesota State Moorhead // Engineering Physics (3.87 GPA)
  • Andon Thomas, LB – Army West Point // Chemical Engineering (3.98 GPA)
  • Jackson Waring, QB – Grand View (IA) // Psychology (3.88 GPA)

NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell stated the NFF Awards Committee “faced a challenging task in selecting the best of the best.”

The Campbell Trophy® program has honored 954 individuals since its launch in 1959, distributing more than $13.2 million in postgraduate scholarships.