Herbert Named Campbell Trophy Finalist

Oregon senior quarterback Justin Herbert was named Wednesday as a National Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation, and thus one of 12 finalists for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the national player of the year across all levels of college football as measured by both athletic and academic performance, along with leadership and citizenship.

Herbert is the third player in Oregon history to be named a finalist, joining fellow quarterbacks Bill Musgrave (1990) and Dennis Dixon (2007). Herbert and this year's other NFF National Scholar-Athletes each will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship; the Campbell Trophy will be awarded at a ceremony in New York City on Dec. 10, and the winner's scholarship will increase to $25,000.

"Justin personifies the term student-athlete, excelling at an extremely high level academically and athletically," Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said. "He is certainly deserving of such a prestigious honor as being named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy. We're proud of all of Justin's accomplishments and how well he represents the University of Oregon."

Commonly known as the "academic Heisman," the Campbell Trophy is awarded to a senior or graduate student in his final year of eligibility. Candidates must have a grade-point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, be a starter or significant contributor who demonstrates "outstanding football ability," and also display strong leadership and citizenship.

A two-time first-team academic all-American, Herbert has a 4.01 GPA and is on track to graduate this fall with a degree in general science, having taken a course load heavy in biology classes. He's in the top 10 among active Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in career passing yards (9,174), touchdowns (84), attempts (1,127) and completions (720). Off the field, he's been a regular participant in O Heroes service events, and he participated in the UO athletic department's 2018 Courts for Kids summer excursion to Uganda.

"Being a finalist for the Campbell Trophy is a great honor," Herbert said. "I'd like to thank my family for teaching me the importance of academics and to stay involved in the community. I'd also like to thank the University of Oregon because as student-athletes we've been given every opportunity we could ever need to succeed."

First awarded in 1990 and known then as the Draddy Trophy, the Campbell Trophy's past winners have included decorated quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel of Florida in 1996, Peyton Manning of Tennessee in 1997 and Tim Tebow of Florida in 2009. The last winner from the Pac-12 Conference was offensive lineman Alex Mack of California in 2008.

A native of Eugene, Herbert took over as Oregon's starting quarterback as a true freshman midway through the 2016 season. He made his first career start on Oct. 8, 2016, against Washington, and on that day began a streak of 35 straight appearances with a touchdown pass.

That streak ended this past week against Washington State, but in that game Herbert led Oregon to a fourth quarter comeback for the second week in a row. The victory was the Ducks' seventh straight, and they're ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press top 25 entering Saturday's game at Southern California.

So far this season, Herbert is 179-of-262 passing for 2,104 yards and 21 touchdowns, with just one interception. Of the 19 players in the FBS with at least 17 touchdown passes on the season, Herbert is one of just two who has thrown only one interception.

Herbert is currently on pace to finish his career as Oregon's all-time leader in attempts and completions, and to join 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota as the only UO quarterbacks with more than 10,000 career passing yards.

University of Oregon Athletics

Players Mentioned

Justin Herbert

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