IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) recognized 11 players from the BYU football team as members of its 2024 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.
An elite group of 1,989 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2024, setting a new record for the number of members in a single year during the program's 18-year history. The initiative has now honored 18,387 student-athletes since its inception. See the complete 2024 Hampshire Honor Society Member List.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either:
- A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2023; or
- A graduated player, who has been out of high school at least (3) years;
And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or contributors throughout the 2023 season.
Players from BYU's 2023 team honored by the NFF include defensive back Jacob Boren (Business), linebacker Ben Bywater (Finance), defensive lineman Jackson Cravens (Communications), wide receiver Talmage Gunther (Finance), offensive lineman Paul Maile (Sociology/Human development), running back Aidan Robbins (Business Marketing), punter Ryan Rehkow (Finance), long snappper Austin Riggs (Communications), running back Deion Smith (Journalism), quarterback Kedon Slovis (Communications) and linebacker AJ Vongphachanh (International business).
With 88 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. Nebraska (83), Minnesota (82), Kansas State (78), Northwestern (75), Duke (75), California (74), Rice (66), Boise State (63) and Stanford (62) around out the top 10 among FBS programs.
The Cougars are also one of seven FBS schools to have had at least one player earning selection in all 18 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society (2007-23) along with Minnesota, West Virginia, Penn State, Iowa, Kentucky and SMU.
This year BYU was one of 11 FBS teams with 10 or more players honored, with Nebraska topping the list with 21 selections, joined by California (19), Kansas State (17), Duke (14), Northwestern (14), Minnesota (11), South Alabama (10), USC (10), Wyoming (10) and Auburn (10).
Thirteen Big 12 universities were represented, led by Kansas State with 17 members and BYU with 11. Big 12 football programs placed a total of 70 student-athletes in the 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
"We are thrilled to honor a record number of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Over the last 18 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."
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 772 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the National Football Foundation's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards