IRVING, Texas - Gallaudet University senior running back Carter Johnson (McCall, Idaho) was selected as one the best and brightest from the college gridiron as announced by The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame. Johnson is one of 180 semifinalists honored from the Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The 180 candidates comprise the list of semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation.
Johnson is a four-year letterwinner in football at Gallaudet, the world's only university with programs and services specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. The Biology major is on track to graduate this May 2026. The starting running back is a jack of all trades for the Bison during his career as he has played on both sides of the ball and has appeared in all 37 games in four seasons. A strong academic scholar in the classroom, Johnson has earned two College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors (2023, '24) and earned three different academic awards from the previous conference - Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC). Johnson also makes regular appearances on Gallaudet University's Dean's List. Johnson was a member of Gallaudet's 2022 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference championship team and made a NCAA tournament appearance in the first round. In 2023, the Bison were ECFC regular-season co-champions.
"Carter is an outstanding student-athlete and leader on the Gallaudet University football team. He is a selfless individual and would do anything for anyone. He demonstrated that when he donated bone marrow to help someone in need. That is the type of person Carter is," said Gallaudet head football coach Stefan LeFors.
Johnson, who is hard of hearing, is one of 33 nominees selected from Division III, and he is one of three honorees from the ODAC. Gallaudet and Georgetown are the only football programs from the District of Columbia represented among the 180 candidates.
Gallaudet has had 15 NFF National Scholar-Athlete semifinalists over the years including 14 in the past 15 years. The first came in 1992 when Jeffrey Kurz was bestowed the great honor while the second came 15 years ago when Caleb Hinton (2011) was recognized for his academic and athletic prowess followed by Denton Mallas (2012), Nicholas Elstad (2013), Nico Santiago (2014), Sean Fenton (2016), Devaron Scott (2017), Brad Peterson (2018), Matthew Cracraft (2019), Cress Fisher (2020), Timel Benton (2021), Laron Thomas (2022), Jonathon Waterman (2023) and John Scarboro (2024).
Celebrating its 36th year, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. 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.
"This year's 180 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."
Nominated by their schools' Athletic Communications/Sports Information Office, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have exceptional football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Only one nomination per school. 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.
"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."
The past recipients of the William V. Campbell Trophy include: Air Force's Chris Howard (1990); Florida's Brad Culpepper (1991); Colorado's Jim Hansen (1992); Virginia's Thomas Burns (1993); Nebraska's Rob Zatechka (1994); Ohio State's Bobby Hoying (1995); Florida's Danny Wuerffel (1996); Tennessee's Peyton Manning (1997); Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb (1998); Marshall's Chad Pennington (1999); Nebraska's Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000); Miami (Fla.)'s Joaquin Gonzalez (2001); Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.)'s Brandon Roberts (2002); Ohio State's Craig Krenzel (2003); Tennessee's Michael Munoz (2004); LSU's Rudy Niswanger (2005); Rutgers' Brian Leonard (2006); Texas' Dallas Griffin (2007); California's Alex Mack (2008); Florida's Tim Tebow (2009); Texas' Sam Acho (2010); Army West Point's Andrew Rodriguez (2011); Alabama's Barrett Jones (2012); Penn State's John Urschel (2013); Duke's David Helton (2014); Oklahoma's Ty Darlington (2015); Western Michigan's Zach Terrell (2016); Virginia's Micah Kiser (2017); Clemson's Christian Wilkins (2018); Oregon's Justin Herbert (2019); Memphis' Brady White (2020); Iowa State's Charlie Kolar (2021); Iowa's Jack Campbell (2022); Oregon's Bo Nix (2023); Alabama's Jalen Milroe (2024).
About NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 67th year in 2025. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 922 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.9 million. The 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 nine first-round NFL draft picks.
About the NFF & College Football Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, and scholarships of more than $1.3 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.
2025 NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE CANDIDATE NOTES
- 180 Semifinalists
- 67th Year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Program
- 3.60 Average GPA
- 93 Nominees who have already earned their bachelor's degree
- 5 Nominees who have earned a master's degree
- 5 Nominees with a 4.0 GPA
- 56 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
- 74 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or better
- 113 Captains
- 96 All-Conference Picks
- 14 Academic All-America Selections
- 20 All-Americans
- 80 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
- 45 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
- 15 Nominees from NCAA Division II
- 33 Nominees from NCAA Division III
- 7 Nominees from the NAIA
- 90 Offensive Players
- 76 Defensive Players
- 14 Special Teams Players
Gallaudet's NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award Semifinalists
2025: Carter Johnson (RB)
2024: John Scarboro (OL)
2023: Jonathon Waterman (K/P)
2022: Laron Thomas (DB)
2021: Timel Benton (QB)
2020: Cress Fisher (OL)
2019: Matthew Cracraft (OL)
2018: Brad Peterson (DL)
2017: Devaron Scott (OL)
2016: Sean Fenton (OL)
2014: Nico Santiago (LB)
2013: Nicholas Elstad (DB)
2012: Denton Mallas (DB)
2011: Caleb Hinton (OL)
1992: Jeffrey Kurz (OL)
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