Hecht Named Semifinalist for Campbell Trophy

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior offensive lineman Sam Hecht has been named a semifinalist for one of the most prestigious honors in major college football, the William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation (NFF) has announced.

Hecht is one of 178 semifinalists from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA for the award that recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

A native of Shawnee, Kansas, Hecht is the 12th Wildcat semifinalist for the award in as many years, joining Tyler Lockett (2014), Stanton Weber (2015), Will Davis (2016), Trent Tanking (2017), Dalton Risner (2018), Adam Holtorf (2019), Tyler Burns (2020), Landry Weber (2021), Adrian Martinez (2022), Cooper Beebe (2023) and Austin Moore (2024). Lockett, Risner, Holtorf, Martinez and Beebe were all named finalists for the award.

"This year's 178 semifinalists represent the very best of what it means to play college football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They have excelled in the classroom, distinguished themselves on the field, and proven to be leaders in their communities. The Campbell Trophy stands as a reminder that football develops complete individuals, and these young men embody that tradition at the highest level."

Hecht has started each of the last 17 games at center dating back to the 2024 season opener. On the watch list for this year's Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy, Hecht led an offensive line unit that helped the 2024 Wildcats set school records in rushing yards per carry (6.08) and offensive yards per play (6.57) as they finished second and 13th nationally in those two categories, respectively. The K-State offensive line also surrendered only 13 sacks on the season, its fewest since 2000, while the Wildcats' 1.00 sacks allowed per game ranked 10th nationally. Additionally, he was penalized just twice over his team-high 840 offensive snaps last season.

A three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Hecht was also named to the Academic All-District Team by College Sports Communicators. Away from the field, he has been involved in numerous community-service projects.

Hecht and the Wildcats host UCF on Saturday in an 11 a.m., contest inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game will be shown on FS1.

– k-statesports.com –

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Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Sam Hecht

Austin Moore

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