The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has announced NDSU linebacker Esley Thorton as one of 167 semifinalists for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and hosted at the New York Athletic Club. 

Thorton is a senior majoring in exercise science from Bismarck, North Dakota. His honors include the 2012 NCAA Elite 89 Award, 2013 Capital One Academic All-District selection and Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The award, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of a foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award, also presented by Fidelity Investments. The foundation’s National Scholar-Athlete program awards $18,000 scholarships that can be used for the honorees’ postgraduate educations.

Recipients will be announced Oct. 30, and one will be declared the winner at the 57th foundation annual awards dinner on Dec. 9.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.