MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior wide receiver Landry Weber is one of 176 players from all NCAA Divisions and the NAIA – including 79 FBS players – to be named a semifinalist for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced Wednesday. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Weber, a product of Lenexa, Kansas, is the eighth Wildcat to be named a semifinalist in as many years and joins his older brother, Stanton, who was a semifinalist in 2015. Other semifinalists include Tyler Lockett (2014), Will Davis (2016), Trent Tanking (2017), Dalton Risner (2018) and Adam Holtorf (2019). Lockett, Risner, Holtorf and Tysyn Hartman (2011) have all been named finalists for the award.
“These 176 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have honored more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community. And we are excited to celebrate the 32nd year of the Campbell Trophy, which honors the best of the best. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”
Nominated by their schools – which are limited to one nominee each – candidates for the award 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. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Weber has played in 34 career games as a contributor on both offense and special teams, hauling in 10 passes for 158 yards while also making seven special teams tackles and recovering a fumble on a kickoff in 2018. A three-time First Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Weber has been nominated for the award twice with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Also active in the Manhattan and student-athlete community, Weber currently serves as the president of the K-State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and through that organization he has been involved in numerous community service projects.
The NFF will announce 12 to 14 finalists for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy on October 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 7, 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 32nd Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Kansas State hosts No. 4 Oklahoma on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m., will be televised by FOX.