IRVING, Texas — UTSA senior Ahofitu Maka has been chosen as a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, as the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) on Wednesday announced the semifinalist list for college football's premier scholar-athlete award.
Celebrating its 33rd 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.
A member of preseason watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy and Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, Maka is one of 73 FBS semifinalists — including one of three from Conference USA — and one of 156 student-athletes from all divisions on the list announced today.
"These 156 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "During the past seven decades, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards have recognized 891 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 in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
An excellent student, Maka is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, a three-time C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll member, a 2021 C-USA All-Academic Team pick and a C-USA Academic Medal recipient. A member of the football program's Leadership Council, he earned his bachelor's degree in cyber security in August and currently is working toward his master's degree in management of technology.
A second-team all-conference selection at center in each of the last two seasons Maka has started 41 career games — 40 at center — as a Roadrunner after transferring from Independence Community College prior to the 2019 campaign. Dating back to the start of the 2020 season, he has allowed only two sacks in more than 1,500 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), helping pave the way for a record-setting offense.
Through the first four games in 2022, Maka has not surrendered a sack or hit on the quarterback in 203 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, for a passing offense that ranks sixth in the nation with a conference-best 351.5 yards per game.
Last fall, Maka started all 14 contests, allowing just one sack and three hits on the quarterback in 471 pass-blocking snaps according to PFF to help UTSA set school records for total yards (6,146), total yards per game (439.0), passing yards (3,577), passing yards per game (255.5), points scored (516) and points per game (36.9).
Maka was a key member of the offensive line in 2020, a season that saw UTSA break single-season program records for rushing yards (2,585), rushing yards per game (215.4), yards per rush (5.21) and rushing touchdowns (24). He surrendered just one sack and three hits on the quarterback in 430 pass-blocking snaps that season according to PFF.
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 26, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
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.
"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the semifinalists as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight their achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."
Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments celebrate their 64th year in 2022. The awards were the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on both a player's academic and athletic accomplishments, and the NFF has recognized 891 outstanding individuals since the program's inception. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $12.3 million.
The Campbell Trophy® was first awarded in 1990, adding to the program's prestige. Past recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, the trophy has been prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club since 2013, and the winner is honored each year during a special reception at the storied venue.
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