IRVING, Texas – North Dakota defensive end Ben McNaboe has been selected as a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday morning. He is one of 39 nominees from the FCS. McNaboe and Brock Mogensen (South Dakota), were the only players from the MVFC announced as semifinalists.

The William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly the Draddy Trophy) is one of college football's premier scholar-athlete awards. The impressive list of candidates boasts a stellar 3.65 average grade-point average, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor's degrees.

Celebrating its 34th 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.

McNaboe is one of the total 201 semifinalists for the award among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA. There are 89 candidates from the Football Bowl Subdivision as well. Former winners of the award include Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.

"These 201 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named the NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "During the past seven decades, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards have recognized 906 college football players who excelled as the best our great sport has to offer. This year's semifinalists build on the tradition, further illustrating the power of football to develop the next generation of influential leaders."

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the award 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 athletic administrators.

McNaboe has appeared in 26 games on the defensive line for UND, starting the last 20 of them at defensive end. In his career, he has accumulated 60 total tackles, with 28 of them being solo stops. He has also accounted for 17.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks.

In UND's Division I history, McNaboe currently ties for No. 8 for career sacks (9.5) and tied for No. 3 last season for single-season sacks (6.5). Prior to the start of the 2023 season, McNaboe was named a Preseason All-MVFC selection by the conference and also a first teamer by Phil Steele.

Last season, McNaboe had a breakout year on the defensive line and ended the season ranked No. 4 in the MVFC in both tackles-for-loss per game (1.1) and sacks per game (0.59). He put down 22 solo tackles and led the team in TFL's with 13 for 71 yards. He also paced the Hawks in sacks with 6.5 for 56 yards. At the end of the year, he was named a second team All-MVFC performer.

In 2021, McNaboe saw action in 11 games on the defensive line and started the final five games of the season. That season, he finished with 19 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a pair of sacks. His best moment of the season came in the 34-10 win over Western Illinois, when he picked off a pass and returned it 20 yards. He was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team at the end of the season.

Prior to his time at North Dakota, McNaboe played two seasons at Minnesota and appeared in a pair of games against Maryland and Michigan.

Academically, McNaboe earned Second Team MVFC All-Academic honors last season and was also a member of the Academic All-Big Ten Team in 2020. He is a two-time recipient of the MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award (2021, 2022). The Rogers, Minn., native is working on his Master of Science in Kinesiology with a GPA of 3.909 and graduated with his bachelor's degree this past summer.

Off the field, McNaboe has volunteered 79.75 hours of community service. He enjoys being a member of the SAAC Pen Pal Program and took part in UND's Holiday Magic from Markus in 2022.

The NFF will announce 12-15 finalists on Oct. 25, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 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 the winner of the 34th Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.