IRVING, Texas – For the first time in program history, an Austin Peay State University football student-athlete has been named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy®, with the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame naming graduate offensive lineman Chandler Kirton one of 16 finalists for college football's premier scholar-athlete award, Wednesday.
The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership. Each of the 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and are members of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments®.
The 16 finalists were selected from 180 semifinalist nationwide from all the NCAA Divisions and NAIA. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
"Each year, we are thrilled to announce the finalists for the Campbell Trophy®," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (a Campbell Trophy® recipient) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "These finalists exemplify the very best that our sport has to offer on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in their communities. They exude excellence in all areas of their lives, and we know they have only begun to reach their potential."
A native of Atlantic Beach, Florida, Kirton was a semifinalist for the 2024 Campbell Trophy and is the second Governor to twice be a semifinalist for the award, joining Ryan Rockensuess (2017 and 2018). Kirton is the 23rd and 24th semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy in Ausitn Peay history.
Kirton graduated from Austin Peay in December 2024 with a 3.92 grade-point average while earning his degree in management. He currently maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing his Master's of Business Administration from APSU. Kirton was recognized as the 2024 United Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is two-time Collegiate Sports Communications Academic All-District selection; he also was a finalist for the 2024 FedEx Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, presented annually to the FCS football student-athlete of the year.
A two-year team captain and four-year starter on the Governors offensive line, Kirton is a two-time All-Conference selection, earning First Team All-UAC honors in 2023 and All-ASUN recognition in 2022. Kirton has started 42-straight games for the Govs and is two starts away from matching Byron Glass' program record of 44-consecutive starts.
Kirton has been a member of the Austin Peay Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since 2023. He also has volunteered his time as a tutor in APSU Athletics Study Hall, and he has given his time to Buddy Ball, Operation Christmas Child, the SAAC Canned Food Drive, and helped raise funds for pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 67th year in 2025. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments. Since 2011, Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of workplace savings plans in higher education, has served as the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.
