IRVING, Texas – Senior left tackle and team captain
Matt Waletzko has been selected as a Semifinalist for one of college football's most prestigious awards, the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy. He is one of 36 nominees from the FCS.
Celebrating its 32nd 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.
Waletzko is one of 176 total nominees for the award among all NCAA divisions and NAIA. There are 79 candidates from the Football Bowl Subdivision as well. Former winners of the award include Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, 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, College Football Hall of Famers, and athletics administrators.
An All-American, All-Missouri Valley Conference, and All-Academic MVFC selection last Spring, Waletzko has been the anchor of the UND offensive line this season, which has only allowed two sacks in 278 plays (0.71%) across four games. Following UND's season-opening win at Idaho State, the Cold Springs, Minn., native was named the MVFC's Offensive Lineman of the Week.
This season, the team captain has started all four games for the Fighting Hawks, leading North Dakota to 162.8 yards per game on the ground and 405.8 yards of offense per game. Aside from a season-ending injury in 2019, Waletzko has been a mainstay on the Hawks' offensive line, blocking for All-American running back John Santiago and
Otis Weah in the last four years.
Waletzko has been named to several watch lists for postseason bowls this season, including the Reese's Senior Bowl and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He was also a consensus preseason All-American.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 7, 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 32nd Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
