Ellis Named Semifinalist For Prestigious Award

IRVING, Texas – Arkansas senior linebacker Brooks Ellis has been named a semifinalist for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced Wednesday.

The Campbell Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s absolute best football scholar-athlete. Ellis is one of 156 semifinalists, including 66 from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Ellis hits the books as hard as he does the opposing team on game day. A three-year starter at linebacker, highlighted by a career-high 102 tackles as a junior in 2015, Ellis carries a 3.8 GPA as a pre-professional exercise science major with aspirations of being a doctor after his playing days. In addition to his major, Ellis is on a pre-med plan and spent a week in Belize this past May with his biology classmates. He is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree and was named to the 2015 Academic All-America second team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for his efforts in the classroom last season.

Growing up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Ellis was raised a Razorback fan but had a stronger inspiration to someday play at Arkansas. Ellis is following in the footsteps of his late grandfather David Lashley, who was an offensive and defensive lineman from 1951-53, and he strives to make his grandfather proud in the classroom and on the field.

A Butkus Award and Wuerffel Trophy candidate, Ellis has been elected team captain by his teammates as both a junior and senior. Ellis is tied for seventh in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with 30 tackles through four games this season. He produced double-digit tackles for the seventh time in his career when he registered a team-best 13, a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss, and an interception returned for a touchdown in the Razorbacks’ 41-38 win in double overtime at No. 15 TCU on Sept. 10. Ellis has totaled 237 tackles during his career and is tied for Arkansas’ active career lead in interceptions with four.

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investment. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

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