Cougars top all FBS programs with 77 all-time honorees in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society
IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) recognized 10 players from the 2022 BYU football team as members of its 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
Players from BYU's 2022 team honored by the NFF include running back Chris Brooks (3.68, Psychology), receiver/specialist Talmage Gunther (3.64, Finance), offensive lineman Clark Barrington (3.53, Construction Management), linebacker Keenan Pili (3.53, Exercise Science), defensive lineman Gabe Summers (3.52, Finance), defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally (3.46, Human and Organizational Development), running back Jackson McChesney (3.42, Finance), defensive back Matthew Criddle (3.31, Spanish), linebacker Pepe Tanuvasa (3.27, Finance) and defensive back Hayden Livingston (3.20, Exercise Science).
With 77 overall honorees since the inception of the program in 2007, BYU ranks No. 1 among all FBS schools for the most players to earn recognition in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Minnesota (71), Nebraska (62), Kansas State (61), Northwestern (61), Duke (61), Rice (59), Stanford (58), Boston College (57) and California (55) round out the top 10 among FBS programs.
The Cougars are also one of five FBS schools to have had at least one player earning selection in all 17 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society (2007-22) along with Minnesota, West Virginia, Penn State and SMU.
This year BYU was one of nine FBS teams with 10 or more players honored, with California topping all FBS programs with 18 selections. Others with 10 or more honorees included Nebraska (14), Air Force (11), Minnesota (11), Virginia (11), Northwestern (10), UCLA (10) and Wyoming (10).
A record 1,745 players from 328 schools qualified this past season for membership in the Hampshire Honor Society. The NFF initiative has now honored 16,381 student-athletes since its launch in 2007.
“We are thrilled to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year’s Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Over the last 17 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives.”
Members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either a player who will graduate this spring/summer after completing his final year of playing eligibility in 2022, or a graduated player with eligibility who has been out of high school at least three years. The players must have attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale) and been starters or significant contributors during the past season (including injury-shortened season).
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Click here to learn more.
View complete list of 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society members.