Football | 9/26/2025 11:30:00 AM
IRVING, Texas (pacathletics.org) - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) released its remarkable list of 178 semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award, which is highlighted by five Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) student-athletes among the 33 Division III players on the list.
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. The strong list of candidates, from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, boasts an impressive 3.60 average GPA in the classroom and includes 112 team captains, 20 All-Americans and 14 Academic All-America® selections.
The five PAC representatives honored among the nation's top academic and athletic football players include: Allegheny senior linebacker Fletcher Hammond (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes); Case Western Reserve University senior defensive back Osi Chukwuocha (Wilmington, Del./Wilmington Friends); Washington & Jefferson College senior linebacker Joey Lacey (Bristow, Va./Avalon School), Waynesburg University senior quarterback Thomas Burke III (West Leechburg, Pa./Leechburg); and Westminster College senior linebacker Dylan Sleva (McDonald, Pa./Moon).
The five players from the PAC marks the most among Division III conferences, just ahead of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), who had four recognized. This also marks the third consecutive year the PAC has led or tied for the lead among DIII conferences for most semifinalists. Last fall, the PAC was tied at the top of the conference list with the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with four semifinalists.
In 2023, the PAC had five student-athletes on the list, which was tied with the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) for the most semifinalists from a Division III conference.
PAC student-athletes continue to be regular Campbell Trophy® semifinalists. For W&J, this marks the fourth straight year they've had a semifinalist and 11th out of the last 13 years. Allegheny now has a streak of five years in a row and seven of the last eight seasons, dating back to before they returned to the PAC in 2022. For Westminster, a Titan has been recognized four of the last five seasons, while this is Case Western Reserve's third in the last five years and Waynesburg's second in four seasons.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior who will complete his final year of eligibility in the 2025 season or a graduate student or graduate transfer who has already earned a degree and is participating in the 2025 season; 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, NFF College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
The NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Hotel & 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. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Fletcher Hammond - Allegheny College
On the field, Hammond made six tackles in the season-opening game against Denison. For his career, the Gator linebacker played in all 10 games as a freshman and sophomore before an injury cut short his junior year after three games. Coming into the 2025 season, Hammond had 70 career tackles, including six for loss and one sack, and one forced fumble.
In the classroom, Hammond is a double major in neuroscience and psychology and was on the PAC Academic Honor Roll for the Fall of 2024.
Osi Chukwuocha - Case Western Reserve University
Chukwuocha has started all three games at cornerback for the Spartans this season and has totaled 18 tackles (12 solo), including two tackles for loss, and has a team-high three passes defended. Over his four-year career, he has 120 tackles (87 solo) with three tackles for loss, three interceptions, and 18 passes defended. He was an All-PAC Second Team honoree last season, leading the team with a pair of interceptions.
Academically, Chukwuocha has a 3.843 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Leadership, and plans on pursuing a graduate degree in business administration. He was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team last year as a junior and is a two-time PAC Fall Academic Honor Roll selection. Chukwuocha has also been named to the Dean's List and was an inductee into the Van Horn Society at CWRU, while also earning the Phillip A. Legge '43 Scholarship, Brian C. Nalven '87 Zeta Psi Scholarship, and the Kenneth W. Grader '37 Memorial Scholarship from the Case Alumni Association.
Joey Lacey - Washington & Jefferson College
Lacey, a pivotal piece on the defensive side of the football for the Presidents, has opened his 2025 campaign with 10 total tackles in the opening two games along with a forced fumble from W&J's season opener against Utica. In his career, he has 35 tackles to his credit, including three for loss, as well as three passes defended and one forced fumble.
Lacey, a Business Administration major, was also named to the 2024 CSC Academic All-District® team and is a two-time Fall PAC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Thomas Burke III - Waynesburg University
Burke has appeared in 26 games for Waynesburg and has thrown for 866 yards and eight touchdowns as a Jacket, including 189 passing yards and a pair of TDs this season.
Off the field, Burke is a Biology major, a two-time selection for the Fall PAC Academic Honor Roll and made the CSC Academic All-District Team once. Burke is also heavily involved on the campus, being President of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) as well as a member of the Chemistry Honor Society.
Dylan Sleva - Westminster College
Sleva was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 23 after registering his fifth-straight game with a dozen or more tackles in last Saturday's 28-23 victory over Case Western Reserve, finishing with 15 stops (10 solo). Sleva currently leads all Division III players in total tackles with 53 (24-29). He finished with a career-high 25 tackles (nine solo) Sept. 4 against Marietta, the most by a Division III player since Grinnell's Hugh Werner had 26 in a 14-7 loss to Knox on Oct. 21, 2023. It's also the fourth-most in PAC history and highest total since Grove City's Scott Fraser made 28 stops against Carnegie Mellon on Oct. 31, 1992.
Sleva, a biology major, is also pursuing a minor in secondary education and currently owns a 3.26 cumulative GPA. After completing his undergraduate degree and certifications related to the secondary education minor, he plans on pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Sleva, who has been on the PAC Fall Academic Honor Roll once, was also named a nominee for the 2025 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® on July 15.