Football | 9/24/2026 12:30:00 PM
IRVING, Texas (pacathletics.org) – Three Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) players were among those recognized when the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced a record 206 semifinalists for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. Celebrating its 37th 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.
Representing the PAC on the semifinalist list is Case Western Reserve University graduate student quarterback Aaron Filips (Medina, Ohio/Highland), Washington & Jefferson College senior offensive tackle Michael Roginsky (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Westminster College senior offensive tackle Braden Mika (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski).
A record 206 semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy® were announced. The group is the largest in the history of the award, eclipsing the previous record of 204 set in 2024. Collectively, the semifinalists boast a 3.64 average grade-point average (GPA) and include 130 team captains, 24 All-Americans and 98 players who have already earned their undergraduate degrees.
Of the record 206 semifinalists, 44 came from Division III programs and the PAC was one of five conferences with three or more semifinalists.
Filips, a team captain, has returned from missing most of the 2025 campaign due to injury to lead the Spartans to a pair of wins in their first two games of the season. Filips has completed 78.1% of his passes for 568 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions over the course of the two victories. He currently ranks third among Division III quarterbacks in completion percentage, eighth in completions per game, 19th in passing efficiency and passing yards per game, and 27th in passing touchdowns. Filips was named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team as a junior in 2024.
Academically, he has a cumulative 3.829 grade point average as an aerospace & mechanical engineering major. Filips is a three-time PAC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
As the only senior starter on the offensive line, Roginsky started each game in both the 2024 and 2025 campaigns and helped the Presidents win back-to-back conference titles. He was named an All-PAC and All-ECAC First Team lineman in 2025.
Academically, Roginsky carries a GPA above 3.7 as an economics major and has twice been named to both the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team and the Fall PAC Academic Honor Roll.
A three-year starter at right tackle, Mika owns a 3.48 cumulative GPA while pursuing a major in accounting and minor in finance. A 2025 First Team All-PAC selection and Honorable Mention All-PAC pick in 2023 and 2024, he has not missed a start since arriving in New Wilmington. Mika has been named to the College's Dean's List three times and the PAC Academic Honor Roll once. He is a two-time Academic All-District® selection (2024, 2025).
Mika has volunteered with the experiential Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, helping prepare federal, state and local tax returns for low- to moderate-income individuals, the elderly, individuals with disabilities and international students through the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership (LCCAP), dedicated to enhancing the quality of life within Lawrence County by eliminating and preventing the causes and effects of poverty. He recently participated in PNC's 10-week corporate finance and accounting summer internship program.
Mika was also named a nominee for the 2026 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® on July 21.
The NFF will announce 12 to 16 finalists on Oct. 21, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. During the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 37th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Story contributions from Case Western Reserve, W&J, Westminster athletic communications