LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV running back Charles Williams is one of 79 semifinalists from the FBS level for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award.
 
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced all 176 semifinalists from every level for what is known as the academic Heisman Trophy. This is the second straight season Williams has been a semifinalist. The complete list of candidates boasts an impressive 3.66 average GPA, with more than two-thirds of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor's degrees.
 
Celebrating its 32nd 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.
 
"For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have honored more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "And we are excited to celebrate the 32nd year of the Campbell Trophy®, which honors the best of the best. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
 
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7, 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 32nd Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
 
Nominated by their schools' sports information directors, 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.
 
"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."
 
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 63rd year in 2021. 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 878 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.1 million. Williams, nicknamed the Chuck Wagon, returned as a Super Senior this fall after becoming the first UNLV football player in history to be voted an academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
 
The native of Fresno, California, and graduate of Bullard High School currently ranks third on UNLV's career rushing list with 3,296 yards, which are also the most gained on the FBS level among all active players. After four games Williams needs 256 yards to move past former teammate Lexington "Lightning" Thomas into second and is only 437 yards short of UNLV record-holder Tim Cornett, who posted 3,733 from 2010-13.
 
Named in May as UNLV's Mehdi Bouras Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Williams is pursuing his master's degree in general studies after earning a bachelor's in journalism & media studies in 2020. He has earned a spot on the Mountain West Academic All-Conference Team for four consecutive years and was a member of the Dean's Honor List his last four semesters as an undergraduate.
 
2021 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS
  Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)Alabama - Chris Owens
Appalachian State - Thomas Hennigan
Arizona - Bryce Wolma
Arkansas - Grant Morgan
Army - Arik Smith
Auburn - Anders Carlson
Baylor - Jalen Pitre
Boise State - Riley Whimpey
Boston College - Zion Johnson
Brigham Young - James Empey
Buffalo - Jack Klenk
California - Elijah Hicks
Central Michigan - Bernhard Raimann
Clemson - Matt Bockhorst
Colorado - Matt Lynch
Connecticut - Brian Keating
Duke - Jake Bobo
Eastern Michigan - Thomas Odukoya
Florida - Jeremiah Moon
Florida Atlantic - John Mitchell
Fresno State - Matt Smith
Georgia State - Jaylon Jones
Georgia Tech - Ryan Johnson
Houston - Donavan Mutin
Illinois - Doug Kramer
Indiana - Jack Tuttle
Iowa - Zach VanValkenburg
Iowa State - Charlie Kolar
Kansas State - Landry Weber
Kentucky - Luke Fortner
Louisiana - Nate Snyder
LSU - Avery Atkins
Memphis - Kylan Watkins
Miami (FL) - Lou Hedley
Michigan - Aidan Hutchinson
Michigan State - AJ Arcuri
Minnesota - Conner Olson
Mississippi - Ben Brown
Mississippi State - Austin Williams
Missouri - Tyler Badie
Navy - Isaac Ruoss
Nebraska - Ben Stille
North Carolina State - Trenton Gill
Northern Illinois - Tyrice Richie
Northwestern - Sam Gerak
Ohio State - Jeremy Ruckert
Oklahoma - Patrick Fields
Oklahoma State - Logan Carter
Old Dominion - Isaac Weaver
Oregon - Dru Mathis
Oregon State - Andrzej Hughes-Murray
Penn State - Sean Clifford
Pittsburgh - Kirk Christodoulou
Purdue - Zander Horvath
Rice - Trey Schuman
Rutgers - Noah Vedral
San Jose State - Jack Snyder
South Carolina - Spencer Eason-Riddle
Southern California - Nick Figueroa
Southern Methodist - Hayden Howerton
Stanford - Thomas Booker
Syracuse - Kingsley Jonathan
Temple - Michael Niese
Tennessee - Matthew Butler
Texas - Cameron Dicker
Texas at San Antonio - Hunter Duplessis
Toledo - Bailey Flint
Tulane - Nick Anderson
UCF - Eriq Gilyard
UCLA - Shea Pitts
UNLV - Charles Williams
Utah - Keegan Markgraf
Utah State - Nick Heninger
Wake Forest - Zach Tom
Washington - Race Porter
West Virginia - Sean Mahone
Western Michigan - Mike Caliendo
Wisconsin - Matt Henningsen
Wyoming - Ayden Eberhardt