Football

Two MIAC football standouts named as semifinalists for Campbell Trophy

IRVING, Texas -- A pair of defensive standouts from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) have been selected as semifinalists for college football's premier scholar-athlete award, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Wednesday.

Saint John's senior defensive end Zach Frank and St. Olaf senior linebacker Noah Barrett are among the 33 student-athletes from NCAA Division III, and 177 candidates from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, to be selected as semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy®. 

| NFF Release | SJU Release | STO Release |

Celebrating its 36th year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership, and up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of the prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have shown outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and must have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of members of the College Football Hall of Fame and athletics administrators.

"This year's 177 semifinalists represent the very best of what it means to play college football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "They have excelled in the classroom, distinguished themselves on the field, and proven to be leaders in their communities. The Campbell Trophy® stands as a reminder that football develops complete individuals, and these young men embody that tradition at the highest level."

Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn. / Centennial) is an accounting major with a 3.86 GPA at Saint John's. He was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America second team and collected his second CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-MIAC honors last season. On the field, Frank was named to the 2024 D3football.com All-America fourth team after he garnered his second consecutive D3football.com All-Region and All-MIAC distinctions last fall. He led the team in sacks (9.0) and quarterback hurries (6), and was second in tackles for loss (11.5). Frank has 82 tackles (44 solo), including 27.5 tackles for a loss, 18.0 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 33 career games. Off the field, Frank is in his fifth year raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a member of the SJU football team. The Johnnies raised $63,700 last fall, the program's 10th year supporting the organization. He studied abroad in London during Spring 2024 and participated in a service internship with Boxing Futures, which is an outreach program for at-risk youth (ages 12-25). Frank helped set up and run boxing sessions each week for the participants, as well as reached out to other potential sites for more programs to be established in the future. He helped start a club on campus called Johnnies and Bennies in Community (JBIC) in Fall 2024. The first location was Madison Elementary School in St. Cloud, where the club created a mentorship program for kids who need a positive influence in their lives.

Barrett (Stratford, Wis. / Stratford) is a kinesiology major with concentrations in management studies and family studies. He has played in all 32 career games and has compiled 109 total tackles (58 solo), 20.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four passes defended, one forced fumble, five fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick. Barrett's breakout junior season last fall saw him earn D3football.com second team All-Region and All-MIAC honors after racking up 53 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble in 10 games. During his time on campus, Barrett has been a team captain and member of the team's leadership council. Last year, he was one of the recipients of the Iron Ole Award for dedication and leadership in the area of strength and conditioning. He has also volunteered for Oles for Opportunity, 7-on-7 football, and as a flag football referee and coach.

The NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22. Each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy during the 67th Annual NFF Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

| NFF Release | SJU Release | STO Release |

A list of recorded William V. Campbell Trophy® nominees from the MIAC can be found below.
All-Time William V. Campbell Trophy® Nominees From The MIAC
Year Position Player School Status
2025 DE Zach Frank Saint John's Semifinalist
2025 LB Noah Barrett St. Olaf Semifinalist
2024 S Nate Farm Bethel Semifinalist
2024 WR Jake Breitbach Gustavus Semifinalist
2024 QB Aaron Syverson Saint John's Semifinalist
2024 QB Theo Doran St. Olaf Semifinalist
2023 LB Justin Tverberg Augsburg Semifinalist
2023 WR Charlie Wilson Hamline Semifinalist
2023 QB Aaron Syverson Saint John's Semifinalist
2023 OL Ben Hestorff St. Olaf Semifinalist
2022 DE Michael Wozniak Saint John's Finalist
2021 QB Jaran Roste Bethel Semifinalist
2021 QB Chris Backes Saint John's Semifinalist
2020 QB Chris Backes Saint John's Semifinalist
2020 LS Zach Bennett St. Thomas Semifinalist
2019 QB Jackson Erdmann Saint John's Semifinalist
2019 OL Elijah Rice St. Thomas Semifinalist
2018 DE Kyle Kilgore Bethel Semifinalist
2018 WR Will Gillach Saint John's Semifinalist
2017 LB Josh Dalki Bethel Semifinalist
2017 LB David Franta Saint John's Semifinalist
2017 S Isaac Seering St. Thomas Semifinalist
2016 TE Drew Neuville Bethel Semifinalist
2016 LB Carter Hanson Saint John's Finalist
2015 DB Matt Mehlhorn Bethel Semifinalist
2015 LB Drake Matuska Saint John's Semifinalist
2015 OL David Simmet St. Thomas Semifinalist
2014 CB Josh Treimer Bethel Semifinalist
2014 TE J.T. Ford Saint John's Semifinalist
2013 DB J.D. Mehlhorn Bethel Semifinalist
2013 DB Dylan Graves Saint John's Semifinalist
2012 LB Gavin Maurer Bethel Semifinalist
2012 RB Stephen Johnson Saint John's Semifinalist
2011 DB Andrew Rotschafer Saint John's Semifinalist
2010 OL Jeff Gilbertson Saint John's Semifinalist
2010 RB Ben Wartman St. Thomas Finalist
2009 DB Dominic Haik Saint John's Semifinalist
2008 RB Jeff Schnobrich Saint John's Semifinalist
2007 DB John Cloeter Saint John's Semifinalist
2006 LB Jamie Steffensmeier Saint John's Semifinalist
2005 LB Matt Hawn Saint John's Finalist
2004 LB Paul Gans Saint John's Semifinalist
2003 WR Blake Elliott Saint John's Semifinalist
2001 TE Zach McBroom Saint John's Semifinalist
1995 WR Chris Palmer Saint John's Finalist