Irving, TX – Austin Peay State University (APSU) football student-athlete Blake Mitchell has been named one of 199 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
The William V. Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the best scholar-athlete in the nation.
The award is named after Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal.
In order to be nominated, a student-athlete must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility and maintain a 3.2 GPA or higher, have outstanding football ability and demonstrate outstanding leadership and citizenship.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists in November, and each of the finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda will have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Mitchell is a two-year starter for the Govs on the offensive line since arriving from Mississippi State and he was named a First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in his first year at Austin Peay. In 2019, Mitchell and the Governors offensive line allowed an OVC-low 14 sacks, despite playing in two more games than any other team in the conference.
With Mitchell playing primarily at center in 2019, the Govs offense set program records in total offense (6,288 yards), passing yards (3,594 yards), and rushing touchdowns (34).
Mitchell will graduate from Austin Peay State University with a bachelor of Business Administration in Management and a minor in Marketing in the Fall of 2020; after graduation, Mitchell plans to enroll in a postgraduate Management program. He has been a two-time Dean’s List honoree, a three-time member of the AD’s Honor Roll, and currently holds a 3.56 GPA.
In the community, Mitchell has helped with service events at the APSU Blood Drive, Lincoln Homes, Read Across America, Canned Food Drives, and Operation Teammate.
Mitchell is the Governors’ 19th Campbell Trophy semifinalist since 2000. Previous recipients of the award include Danny Wuerffel, Peyton Manning, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Alex Mack and Tim Tebow.
