Campbell, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was earlier named the Nagurski-Wooden Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. He is one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, which is awarded to the best linebacker in the nation. He was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi awards.
Campbell (6-foot-5, 246-pounds) has led Iowa’s defense all season. He has totaled 118 tackles, which are second in the Big Ten and tied for 13th nationally. He also recorded two interceptions, one recovered fumble and one forced fumble, along with 3.5 tackles for loss. He has 295 career tackles to rank 19th in program history.
Campbell, who will earn his degree in December, carries a 3.49 grade point average with a major in enterprise leadership and a minor in sport and recreation management. He earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition in 2021, has earned Dean’s List honors three semesters and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He has been a member of Iowa’s Player Leadership Council for three years.
Campbell is the first Iowa football student-athlete to earn the William V. Campbell Trophy. Six previous players were named a NFF National Scholar-Athlete, including linebacker James Morris (2013), linebacker Mike Klinkenborg (2007), offensive lineman Derek Rose (1998), tight end Mike Flagg (1987), defensive back Bob Elliott (1975) and defensive lineman John Charles Hendricks (1968).
Along with Tuesday’s event in Las Vegas, Campbell will be recognized as the 2022 Campbell Trophy® recipient at several other prestigious events. On Thursday, Dec. 8, he will be interviewed live during the “The Home Depot College Football Awards” on ESPN. On Monday, Dec. 12, a reception will be held in his honor at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), the official home of the trophy since 2013. Finally, he will be honored during the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Launched in 1959 and celebrating its 64th year in 2022, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program became the first initiative in history to award postgraduate scholarships based on a player’s combined academic, athletic and leadership accomplishments, and the program has awarded $12.3 million to 906 top athletes since its inception. Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
The centerpiece to the NFF’s scholar-athlete program, the William V. Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990. It is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, former player, and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal.
Iowa (7-5, 5-4) will face Kentucky in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31 in Nashville (11 a.m. CT, ESPN). The Hawkeyes earned their 20th bowl invite over the past 24 seasons under Ferentz.
