NFF Press Release
 
IRVING, Texas – Slippery Rock University quarterback Brayden Long was announced as one of just 18 NCAA Division II players to be named as national semifinalists for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy® when the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced the 2024 list of semifinalists Wednesday.
 
The William V. Campbell Trophy® is known as the "Academic Heisman" and is the highest academic honor a college football player can win. Each year, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame select between 12-15 national finalists from all levels of college football that become members of the National Scholar-Athlete Class. Those finalists receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship from Fidelity Investments and will be invited to Las Vegas for the annual awards dinner and College Football Hall of Fame induction Dec. 10.
 
Slippery Rock has had two national finalists in the last seven years with Marcus Martin earning the honor in 2017 and Henry Litwin being recognized in 2021. The Rock are the only school in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to ever have a Campbell Trophy® finalist and are one of just two schools in the NCAA Division II's Super Region One with a finalist, as Ashland (Ohio) has one former honoree. SRU is one of just eight current NCAA Division II institutions to ever have multiple finalists.
 
A total of 203 players were announced Wednesday as national semifinalists, including 95 from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), 41 from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), 18 from Division II, 44 from Division III and five from the NAIA.
 
"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."
 
Nominated by their institution's Athletic Communication Offices, 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 finalists for the award are 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.
 
Long, a graduate student from Hanover, Pennsylvania, earned his undergraduate degree from Slippery Rock in May after graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a sport management major with a minor in leadership. He is one of only three semifinalists from all divisions with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
The Campbell Trophy® semifinalist honor is the latest in a growing list of academic awards earned by Long. Just last week he was named the Atlantic Region Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2023-24 academic year by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association, becoming the only football player in the country to win one of the eight regional awards. That honor came after Long was named as the 2023-24 PSAC Pete Nevins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is the top academic award the PSAC hands out each year. Long was also named the PSAC Champion Scholar Award winner in 2023 for owning the highest GPA of all players competing in the conference title game. He became the first football player in PSAC history to earn a Champion Scholar award and be named as one of the conference's Athletes of the Year for their athletic performance.
 
The academic awards didn't end at the conference and regional level, as Long was also one of just two Division II quarterbacks in the country and seven quarterbacks from all levels of college football to be named to the 2023 Academic All-America team by the College Sports Communicators. He was also one of just 26 men from all sports in Division II to earn one of the 2023-24 NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarships in recognition of his academics, athletics and community leadership.
 
All of the academic honors came after Long had a breakout junior season in his first year as The Rock's starting quarterback last fall. He led Super Region One and ranked in the top 10 nationally in nearly every major passing category after completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,808 yards with 35 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also ran for five touchdowns and finished the year ranked in the top 10 in Division II in passing yards, passing TD, points responsible for, passing efficiency and completion percentage. His 3,808 yards and 35 TD passes both rank No. 2 in SRU program history.
 
Long led Slippery Rock to a 12-2 record in 2023 with a fifth straight PSAC West title and a fifth straight trip to the NCA Playoffs. The Rock are off to a 3-0 start this fall and currently are ranked No. 9 in the Division II national rankings with Long leading the team as a second-year captain.
 
His athletic performance last fall earned him the PSAC West and Super Region One Offensive Athlete of the Year awards and made him one of eight national finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year. Long finished fifth in the national voting for the Harlon Hill and went on to add All-America honors from the Dan Hansen Football Gazette and D2football.com. Entering this fall, he was named to the D2football.com Elite 100 Watchlist, which replaced the Preseason All-America team.
 
The most accurate passer in Slippery Rock program history, Long has a career completion percentage just above 68 percent and is closing in on 5,000 career passing yards despite making just 18 starts in his career. His 396 completions rank fourth all-time at The Rock and he currently sits in the top 10 all-time at SRU in passing yards, passing attempts and passing touchdowns. Long has thrown just six career interceptions on 585 pass attempts.
 
In addition to his performance in the classroom and on the field, Long has been involved with numerous community service, volunteer and leadership positions, including serving as team captain for the last two seasons. He is an officer with the SRU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a founding member of TEAM Rock, a student-athlete led campus ministry. Long also serves as an admissions tour guide on campus, routinely giving prospective students and their families campus tours throughout the year, even during the football season. He volunteers annually on Dr. Seuss Day by going to local elementary schools to read to children as part of the Read Across America program.
 
Long has also volunteered with the Pennsylvania Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Hanover Youth Sports, the Slippery Rock Community Library, Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation, Slippery Rock High School Athletics, Westminster College Athletics and the Butler County 3v3 Basketball Tournament.
 
"I cannot think of a better student-athlete to represent this prestigious award than Brayden Long," said SRU head coach Shawn Lutz. "In an era of college football where the transfer portal runs rampant and athletes, especially quarterbacks, transfer away from programs when they don't get to start right away, Brayden went against that trend. He came to SRU as a freshman and sat behind multiple All-Conference quarterbacks, learning, developing and waiting for his chance. He stayed with our program and gave 100 percent of himself to our team. Last year, he took over the job and started every game while putting together one of the best seasons in SRU history, leading our team to the NCAA quarterfinals in his first year as a starter. He is an All-American on the field and in the classroom and was the top male scholar-athlete in our entire conference last year. He is a tremendous leader, an exceptional student that graduated with a perfect GPA and a very humble and loyal young man. We're so excited to be able to nominate Brayden for the Campbell Trophy because he is simply the best of the best when it comes to the student-athletes that represent Slippery Rock University and what we are all about."
 
The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame will announce the 12-15 national finalists for the Campbell Trophy® Oct. 23.
 
Long is one of just three players from the PSAC to be named as a semifinalist, joining East Stroudsburg's John Siggins and California's Jaheim Bassham.
 
Read more about the Campbell Trophy® HERE.




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