NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale standout defensive end
Osorachukwu Ifesinachukwu has been selected as a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's prestigious 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award.
Celebrating its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Ifesinachukwu, who is an NFL prospect, is certainly a deserving candidate. He already has made a major impact through two games this season, notching two sacks against both Holy Cross and Cornell. Last year, he was limited to four games due to injury but still compiled 17 tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. In 2019, he started all 10 games on Yale's Ivy League championship team and contributed 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Ifesinachukwu, a biomedical engineering major with a 3.67 GPA, has excelled off the field as well. At Yale he has worked as a Design Aide for the Center For Engineering and Innovative Design where he helped members maintain safety regulations. In addition, he has been involved with the Global Teaching Project, traveling to Mississippi to tutor physics for bright and gifted underprivileged high school students and also serving as a summer camp counselor.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. 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.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards 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 class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 64th year in 2022. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 891 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.3 million.
The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013, and the winner is honored each year during a special reception at the storied venue.
