NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced the semifinalists for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy® and Yale offensive lineman Bennie Anderson is among the honorees.
 
Celebrating its 35th 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.
 
Anderson, an economics major, started at left guard for the Bulldogs in Saturday's season-opening 38-31 victory at Holy Cross. Last year he appeared in all 10 games and helped the Bulldogs rush for 164.5 yards per game, which was third in the Ivy League. Anderson has been a part of Ivy League championship teams in both 2022 and 2023.
 
Off the field, Anderson is a leader on campus and in the community. He served as Yale's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President in 2023-24. He also was a founding member of Yale's Black Student-Athlete Coalition and served as an Ivy League SAAC member. In addition, he was a featured speaker/panelist at the Black Student Athlete Summit and a Make A Play Foundation fellow from 2021 to 2023.
 
"The impact Bennie has made on the team as a player has been immense, but what is even more important is what he has done in the community and what he has done as a leader within the athletic department, within the university and beyond," said Yale head coach Tony Reno. "Bennie has an incredible ability to bring people together."
 
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 23, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10, 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 35th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
 
"These 203 semifinalists reflect not only exceptional academic and athletic talent but also the deep-rooted leadership that shows a commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, which is learned on the gridiron," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "The Campbell Trophy® continues to represent the pinnacle of what it means to be a scholar-athlete, and this year's candidates exemplify how football builds future leaders who will undoubtedly shape tomorrow's world."