IRVING, Texas -- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced a record number of members for the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which comprises college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. Click here for the 2025 list of members.
A record 2,532 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2025, marking the largest class in the program's 19-year history. Since its inception, the initiative has honored 20,946 student-athletes.
This year's members represented six divisions: 689 from the FBS, 549 from the FCS, 212 from Division II, 978 from Division III, 58 from the NAIA, and 46 sprint football players. They hailed from schools in every state and the District of Columbia—except Alaska, which does not sponsor an eligible college football program. The FBS cohort came from 120 schools, reflecting a 90 percent participation rate.
Five Texas Lutheran student-athletes: Zach Anderson (Montgomery/Montgomery), Mason Hardy (Flynn/Normangee), Cayleb Klostermann (Lyford/Lyford), Grayson Kowalski (Sabinal/Sabinal), and Tristan Smith (New Braunfels/Canyon) were named as members of the society.
"In today's era of NIL and the transfer portal, we firmly believe that education remains the key to long-term success," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "These results reaffirm that academics are still top of mind for today's student-athletes. We salute the schools, coaches, and administrators who continue to champion education as a core part of the student-athlete experience. We'll keep doing everything we can to promote those academic ideals and ensure education stays central to the holistic development of every student-athlete."
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be a senior player graduating this spring/summer who completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2024; or
- Be a graduated player or grad transfer who has already earned a bachelor's degree and competed in the 2024 season (even if the player has remaining eligibility and may return to play next season).
And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or contributors throughout the 2024 season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."
"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Click here to learn more.
The full press release can be read here.
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