GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – A pair of senior defensive backs – Duke’s DeVon Edwards and Wake Forest’s Ryan Janvion – are among the 12 finalistsfor the2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is the only Power 5 league with two student-athletes among the finalists for college football’s “Academic Heisman.” The Campbell Trophy, awarded by the National Football Foundation and prominently displayed at its official home inside the New York Athletic Club, recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
“DeVon and Ryan are true leaders and role models - in the classroom, on the field and in their communities,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “They are certainly deserving of this prestigious honor, and the ACC is proud to celebrate their tremendous success.”
The 12 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Duke’s Edwards is one of only two active players who earned both All-America and Academic All-America honors in 2015. The team captain becomes the sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Duke history.
A 2015 Second Team Academic All-American, Edwards graduated in May with a 3.35 GPA in psychology with a minor in markets and management. The two-time First Team Academic All-District selection is currently pursuing his master’s in liberal studies, where he maintains a 3.6 GPA. Edwards is a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic team and a four-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
A native of Covington, Georgia, Edwards injured his knee during the Sept. 24 Notre Dame game, which ended his 44-game career at Duke with 327 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 10.5 quarterback sacks, five interceptions, six forced fumbles and 21 pass breakups. In addition, he returned 74 kickoffs for 2,060 yards for a 27.84 average and six touchdowns. Edwards closed his career ranking 17th on Duke’s all-time tackles chart while holding school career records for kickoff return average and kickoff returns for touchdowns. His six kickoff returns for scores rank as the third most in NCAA history. A three-time All-America and All-ACC pick as a kick return specialist, Edwards also garnered all-league honors as a defensive back in each of the past two seasons. The four-time ACC Player of the Week led Duke to three consecutive bowl games and its first ACC Championship Game appearance in school history in 2013.
A member of the 2016 AFCA Good Works Team, Edwards is active in the community and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House every Thursday during the summer. He has also volunteered for the Boys & Girls Club, Bull City Fit and the Kid’s Club in Oxford Manor. Edwards has visited kids at Duke Children’s hospital, worked Durham Little League Football practices, mentored students at Duluth High School and participated in Duke’s campus trash clean-up program.
Wake Forest’s Janvion has made his mark as one of the most decorated defensive players in school history. He makes history as the Demon Deacons’ first-ever NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A two-time Academic All-District selection, Janvion is a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team and a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection. The Pembroke Pines, Florida, native maintains a 3.53 GPA in business and enterprise management, and he plans to pursue an MBA.
A three-year team captain, Janvion is a four-year starter who led the team in tackles in both 2013 and 2014. In his 2014 campaign, he became the first sophomore at Wake Forest since 1992 to lead the team in tackles and collect more than 100 tackles in one season. The 2013 Honorable Mention All-ACC selection has amassed 322 career tackles, which is currently tied for 11th in the Demon Deacon record books. Janvion has also recorded 11.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recovering during his career in Winston-Salem.
Having numerous interests off the field, Janvion is a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he plays the saxophone for the Athletes-in-Action Worship Team. He serves as a board member for the Santa’s Helper initiative; participated in “Brenner Deacs” at Brenner Children’s Hospital; and greeted guests at the Wake Baptist Health Fair. Janvion has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Project H.O.P.E (Help Our People Eat). He assisted at a football camp for kids with autism, and he was featured in a public service announcement for the United Way.
The ACC boasts three past Campbell Trophy winners among its current member institutions. Duke’s David Helton is the most recent, as he received the honor in 2014. Virginia’s Thomas Burns was recognized in 1993 and Miami’s Joaquin Gonzalez in 2001.
“We are extremely proud to announce this year’s finalists for the Campbell Trophy, who make up the National Scholar-Athlete Class,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. They serve as living examples of our mission of Building Leaders Through Football, and we are excited to honor their hard work and accomplishments with postgraduate scholarships.”
The recipient of the Campbell Trophy will also be honored at the NFF Board of Directors meeting and at a reception hosted by the New York Athletic Club on Wednesday, Dec. 7. He will then fly to Atlanta to be recognized during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN at the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 8. Finally, as part of the NFF’s partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP), the Campbell Trophy winner will be recognized on the field during the CFP National Championship on Jan. 9, 2017, in Tampa, Florida.
The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a former player and head coach at Columbia University, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, who passed away this year on April 18.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is the only Power 5 league with two student-athletes among the finalists for college football’s “Academic Heisman.” The Campbell Trophy, awarded by the National Football Foundation and prominently displayed at its official home inside the New York Athletic Club, recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
“DeVon and Ryan are true leaders and role models - in the classroom, on the field and in their communities,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “They are certainly deserving of this prestigious honor, and the ACC is proud to celebrate their tremendous success.”
The 12 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Duke’s Edwards is one of only two active players who earned both All-America and Academic All-America honors in 2015. The team captain becomes the sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Duke history.
A 2015 Second Team Academic All-American, Edwards graduated in May with a 3.35 GPA in psychology with a minor in markets and management. The two-time First Team Academic All-District selection is currently pursuing his master’s in liberal studies, where he maintains a 3.6 GPA. Edwards is a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic team and a four-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
A native of Covington, Georgia, Edwards injured his knee during the Sept. 24 Notre Dame game, which ended his 44-game career at Duke with 327 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 10.5 quarterback sacks, five interceptions, six forced fumbles and 21 pass breakups. In addition, he returned 74 kickoffs for 2,060 yards for a 27.84 average and six touchdowns. Edwards closed his career ranking 17th on Duke’s all-time tackles chart while holding school career records for kickoff return average and kickoff returns for touchdowns. His six kickoff returns for scores rank as the third most in NCAA history. A three-time All-America and All-ACC pick as a kick return specialist, Edwards also garnered all-league honors as a defensive back in each of the past two seasons. The four-time ACC Player of the Week led Duke to three consecutive bowl games and its first ACC Championship Game appearance in school history in 2013.
A member of the 2016 AFCA Good Works Team, Edwards is active in the community and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House every Thursday during the summer. He has also volunteered for the Boys & Girls Club, Bull City Fit and the Kid’s Club in Oxford Manor. Edwards has visited kids at Duke Children’s hospital, worked Durham Little League Football practices, mentored students at Duluth High School and participated in Duke’s campus trash clean-up program.
Wake Forest’s Janvion has made his mark as one of the most decorated defensive players in school history. He makes history as the Demon Deacons’ first-ever NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A two-time Academic All-District selection, Janvion is a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team and a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection. The Pembroke Pines, Florida, native maintains a 3.53 GPA in business and enterprise management, and he plans to pursue an MBA.
A three-year team captain, Janvion is a four-year starter who led the team in tackles in both 2013 and 2014. In his 2014 campaign, he became the first sophomore at Wake Forest since 1992 to lead the team in tackles and collect more than 100 tackles in one season. The 2013 Honorable Mention All-ACC selection has amassed 322 career tackles, which is currently tied for 11th in the Demon Deacon record books. Janvion has also recorded 11.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recovering during his career in Winston-Salem.
Having numerous interests off the field, Janvion is a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he plays the saxophone for the Athletes-in-Action Worship Team. He serves as a board member for the Santa’s Helper initiative; participated in “Brenner Deacs” at Brenner Children’s Hospital; and greeted guests at the Wake Baptist Health Fair. Janvion has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Project H.O.P.E (Help Our People Eat). He assisted at a football camp for kids with autism, and he was featured in a public service announcement for the United Way.
The ACC boasts three past Campbell Trophy winners among its current member institutions. Duke’s David Helton is the most recent, as he received the honor in 2014. Virginia’s Thomas Burns was recognized in 1993 and Miami’s Joaquin Gonzalez in 2001.
“We are extremely proud to announce this year’s finalists for the Campbell Trophy, who make up the National Scholar-Athlete Class,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. They serve as living examples of our mission of Building Leaders Through Football, and we are excited to honor their hard work and accomplishments with postgraduate scholarships.”
The recipient of the Campbell Trophy will also be honored at the NFF Board of Directors meeting and at a reception hosted by the New York Athletic Club on Wednesday, Dec. 7. He will then fly to Atlanta to be recognized during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN at the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 8. Finally, as part of the NFF’s partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP), the Campbell Trophy winner will be recognized on the field during the CFP National Championship on Jan. 9, 2017, in Tampa, Florida.
The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Intuit, a former player and head coach at Columbia University, and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, who passed away this year on April 18.
