Case Western Reserve University graduate student quarterback Aaron Filips was named a semifinalist for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy®, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, each candidate must be competing in the 2026 season as a senior in his final year of eligibility or a graduate student/graduate transfer who has already earned a degree; have a cumulative undergraduate 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 National Football Foundation Awards Committee, which is composed of a nationally recognized group of media, NFF College Football Hall of Famers, and athletics administrators.
The 206 total semifinalists (including 44 from Division III programs) represent the largest in the history of the award, eclipsing the previous record of 204 set in 2024.
Filips, a team captain, has returned from missing most of the 2025 campaign due to injury to lead the Spartans to a pair of wins in their first two games of the season. Filips has completed 78.1% of his passes for 568 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions over the course of the two victories. He currently ranks third among Division III quarterbacks in completion percentage, eighth in completions per game, 19th in passing efficiency and passing yards per game, and 27th in passing touchdowns. Filips was named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team as a junior in 2024.
Academically, he has a cumulative 3.829 grade point average as an aerospace & mechanical engineering major. Filips is a three-time PAC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
The National Football Foundation will announce 12 to 16 finalists on October 21, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on December 8, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. During the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 37th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
The Campbell Trophy was first awarded in 1990, adding to the prestige of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Past Campbell Trophy recipients include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners, and ten first-round NFL Draft picks.
Filips and the Spartans, 2-0 for the campaign, will open Presidents' Athletic Conference play this Saturday, September 26, against Washington and Jefferson College at 7:00 p.m. at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.
