NEW YORK CITY — BYU senior quarterback Taysom Hill was honored Tuesday night at the 59th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
As a member of the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, Hill was one of 12 finalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy presented annually to the nation’s best scholar athlete. One of college football’s most sought after and competitive awards, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.
Joining Hill as members of the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and Campbell Trophy Finalists were Chris Beaschler (Dayton), Tim Crawley (San Jose State), DeVon Edwards (Duke), Brooks Ellis (Arkansas), Carter Hanson (Saint John's [Minn.], Ryan Janvion (Wake Forest), Zay Jones (East Carolina), Cooper Rush (Central Michigan), Karter Schult (Northern Iowa), Tyler Sullivan (Delta State [Miss.]) and Zach Terrell (Western Michigan).
Terrell, quarterback at Western Michigan, was named the 27th recipient of The William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the awards dinner. A three-year captain, Terrell currently maintains a 4.0 GPA in pursuit of his MBA after graduating with a 3.66 GPA in finance last December.
As a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, Hill received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. Hill is the Cougars’ fifth NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining Matt Bauman (2009), Jared Lee (2000), Steve Young (1983) and Stephen Miller (1976).
“One thing I want to be known for is someone who competed in everything that I did and who loved the game and left it all out there,” said Hill, who will not play in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl after suffering an elbow injury in BYU’s last game.
A finance major with a 3.45 GPA, Hill graduated in the spring of 2016. The three-year team captain won 23 games as a starting quarterback at BYU and accounted for 9,744 total yards of offense, which ranks No. 4 in school history, just ahead of Jim McMahon. He has 6,929 passing yards and 2,815 rushing yards. Hill has the most rushing yards by any BYU quarterback and is fifth among all players. He also has 75 total touchdowns (43 passing, 32 rushing), No. 5 all-time at BYU, surpassing Steve Young in his last game.
Fans can watch the entire NFF Annual Awards Dinner on ESPN3 by clicking here.