12 Members of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Lead Teams to Postseason
Eight to appear in FBS bowls, including the College Football Playoff, while four others led teams to divisional playoffs or bowls.
IRVING, Texas (Dec. 16, 2021) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of Fame salutes the 12 members of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments who have led their teams to postseason play this season.
Each member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and was a finalist for the 32nd William V. Campbell Trophy®, which was awarded to Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar as the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Eight members of the 2021 class have guided their teams to an FBS bowl game, including one who will play in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl:
Mike Caliendo, Western Michigan OL – Quick Lane Bowl
Sean Clifford, Penn State QB – Outback Bowl
Patrick Fields, Oklahoma DB – Valero Alamo Bowl
Matt Henningsen, Wisconsin DE – SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan DE – CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
Charlie Kolar, Iowa State TE (2021 Campbell Trophy®) – Cheez-It Bowl
Sean Mahone, West Virginia S – Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Grant Morgan, Arkansas LB – Outback Bowl
At the FCS level, Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen, the 2021 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and one of the top three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, has led the No. 8-seed Bobcats to the Semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. The 2021 First Team Academic All-American and Montana State will host South Dakota State this Saturday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Wide receiver Henry Litwin, who finished his career with every Slippery Rock (PA) career receiving record, guided The Rock to a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Linebacker Joshua King, an all-conference selection in 2021, led the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (NY) to a win over Western New England (MA) in the New England Bowl.
In the NAIA, Cameron Dukes guided Lindsey Wilson (KY) to its third straight undefeated regular season, its third consecutive regular season division title and the No. 1 overall seed in the NAIA Playoffs. Dukes and the Blue Raiders concluded the 2021 season in the NAIA Semifinals.
Here is a detailed FBS bowl schedule for the NFF National Scholar-Athletes (chronologic order – rankings reflect final CFP):
Monday, Dec. 27, 2021
Western Michigan vs. Nevada
Quick Lane Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
11 a.m. ET, ESPN
This season, Mike Caliendo started every game at center for Western Michigan after spending the previous four years at guard. The two-time First Team All-MAC selection has started 55 consecutive games for the Broncos. Behind Caliendo’s blocking, Western Michigan finished the regular season with a 7-5 record and ranked second in the conference with 463.8 yards of total offense per game. A 2020 First Team Academic All-American, Caliendo graduated in 2019 with a 3.90 GPA in biomedical sciences, and he plans to attend medical school.
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021
West Virginia vs. Minnesota
Guaranteed Rate Bowl – Phoenix, Arizona
10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
This season, safety Sean Mahone set a new school record by playing in his 54th career game, and he ranked second on West Virginia with 77 total tackles and 51 solo stops. The 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection led the Mountaineers to a 6-6 record. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in management information systems in 2020, Mahone earned his MBA with a 3.7 GPA in May 2021. A 2020 Second Team Academic All-American and two-time First Team Academic All-District honoree, he also boasts being a five-time First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection.
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021
Iowa State vs. No. 19 Clemson
Cheez-It Bowl – Orlando, Florida
5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Iowa State Charlie Kolar, the 2021 recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy®, was a Mackey Award finalist for the second straight season. The only unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2021, he is one of only 12 players in history to receive First Team All-Big 12 honors three times. This season, Kolar is second at Iowa State and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 723 receiving yards while being tied for the team lead and being tied for fifth in the conference with five receiving touchdowns. A three-time All-American, Kolar earned Second Team honors in 2020 and Third Team accolades in 2019 and 2021. He owns virtually all school career records for tight ends, compiling the most receptions (164), receiving yards (2,148) and touchdowns (22). The only three-time First Team Academic All-American in Iowa State history, Kolar was named the 2021-22 Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I football. He graduated summa cum laude in December 2020 with a 3.99 GPA in mechanical engineering while ranking in the highest two percent of engineering students at the university. He is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in finance.
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021
No. 16 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Oregon
Valero Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
This season, defensive back Patrick Fields ranks second on Oklahoma with 71 tackles. The two-year captain and 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honoree led the Sooners to a 10-2 record. Fields previously led OU to three straight Big 12 titles (2018-20), three top 10 finishes (No. 4 in 2018, No. 7 in 2019, No. 6 in 2020) and two berths in the College Football Playoff. A two-time Academic All-American, Fields earned first team honors in 2021 and second team recognition in 2020. Boasting a 3.82 GPA, he is set to graduate in December with both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting (minor in economics) and a master’s degree in accounting.
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021
Wisconsin vs. Arizona State
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
This season, defensive end Matt Henningsen boasts 31 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while leading Wisconsin to an 8-4 record. The team captain was a Third Team All-Big Ten honoree while guiding a squad that led the nation in rushing defense (65.2 yards per game). A two-time First Team Academic All-American and two-time Academic All-District selection, Henningsen graduated summa cum laude with a 4.00 GPA in December 2020 with a degree in electrical engineering and a certificate in mathematics. He is expected to finish his master’s in electrical and computer engineering, with a focus on machine learning and signal processing, this December.
Friday, Dec. 31, 2021
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia
CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had a remarkable 2021 season, finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up while claiming the Rotary Lombardi and Ted Hendricks awards. The 2021 consensus First Team All-American was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year after guiding the Wolverines to a 12-1 record and the Big Ten title. He set a new Michigan single-season record with 14 sacks, which led the Big Ten and rank third in the nation. A 2021 First Team Academic All-American and two-time First Team Academic All-District selection, Hutchinson is on pace to graduate in December with a degree in applied exercise science. The No. 2 Wolverines are making their first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
No. 21 Arkansas vs. Penn State
Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
Noon ET, ESPN2
This season, Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan won the 2021 Burlsworth Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on. The two-year team captain ranks second at Arkansas and sixth in the SEC with 96 tackles. Morgan led the Razorbacks to an 8-4 regular-season record, their most wins in a regular season since 2011 (10). After graduating in August 2019 with a 3.66 GPA in kinesiology, Morgan earned his master’s in operations management in 2020.
Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
Penn State vs. No. 21 Arkansas
Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
Noon ET, ESPN2
This season, quarterback Sean Clifford has guided Penn State to a 7-5 record while completing 247 passes for 2,912 yards and 20 touchdowns and adding two rushing scores. Clifford, who announced he will return for the 2022 season, is one of just three Nittany Lions to reach 8,000 career yards of total offense and one of just three Penn State quarterbacks to eclipse 7,500 career passing yards. The only three-year team captain in school history has twice earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. After graduating in 2020 with a degree in public relations, Clifford is currently pursuing a master’s in journalism.
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