NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale defensive lineman Osorachukwu Ifesinachukwu has been named a finalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The announcement was made by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame.
 
Ifesinachukwu is one of 15 finalists who will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.
 
A leader on and off the field, Ifesinachukwu hopes to inspire people through his hard work, football skills and his art. The Austin, Texas, native becomes the 13th NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Yale history.
 
A biomedical engineering major, Ifesinachukwu boasts a remarkable 3.67 GPA and is interested in pursuing a medical degree with a focus on oncology.
 
This season, Ifesinachukwu leads Yale with four sacks and five tackles for loss, and his four sacks are tied for fifth in the Ivy League.
 
In 2019, Ifesinachukwu helped guide Yale to a share of the Ivy League title while recording 28 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Bulldogs finished that season with a No. 24 final ranking while posting a 9-1 overall record and a 6-1 mark in Ivy League play. Ifesinachukwu was limited to four games in 2021 due to an injury but posted a career-high seven tackles against Holy Cross. He has recorded 62 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his Yale career.
 
Off the field, Ifesinachukwu worked as a design aide for Yale's Center for Engineering and Innovative Design, where he helped members maintain safety regulations and provided assistance on projects. He has also worked as a tutor with the Global Teaching Project, a non-profit that helps deliver AP STEM education to students in rural and underserved communities in Mississippi. Looking toward his future career, Ifesinachukwu has served as a lab assistant at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas where he helped conduct research on Ewing's sarcoma cell lines.
 
Learning to draw almost entirely on his own, Ifesinachukwu has become an accomplished charcoal artist, using his talent to express things that matter to him and aiming to inspire people to "feel comfortable talking about things that are uncomfortable." His pieces cover poverty in the Nigerian Civil War; confrontations of race in modern-day America; abstractions of Biblical figures; and mental health, among others.
 
The 15 finalists were selected from an impressive list of 156 semifinalists nationwide from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA.
 
The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, 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 33rd Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. 
 
"We are extremely proud to announce the finalists for this year's Campbell Trophy®," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® recipient) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy's namesake Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the Future For Football is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships."
 
Submitted by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA 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 NFF Awards Committee did an excellent job in selecting this year's National Scholar-Athletes," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Chosen from an extremely impressive list of semifinalists, the finalists have undoubtedly distinguished themselves as some of the best student-athletes in the country. Each of these men is a leader on and off the field, and we know that they have only begun to reach their potential."