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For the second time in three months, Ashland University senior snapper Travis Downing is the Eagles' nominee for a top national football honor.
As announced on Wednesday (Sept. 26) morning, Downing was named a semifinalist for the 2018 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy®. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Downing has been Ashland's starting short snapper since the beginning of his freshman year, is a three-time letter winner, and has added long-snapping duties this season. He is a two-time member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Excellence Team, and has a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average as a Sport Management major.
In July, Downing was announced as Ashland's nominee for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.
Candidates for the William V. Campbell Trophy® 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.
According to the NFF press release, the organization will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 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 29th William V. Campbell Trophy®, and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
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