Baylor’s Florence Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

DALLAS – Baylor senior quarterback Nick Florence has been selected as one of 147 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

Florence is one of 50 semifinalists representing the Football Bowl Subdivision and one of five from the Big 12 Conference. He's the first Baylor semifinalist since Derek Epperson in 2010. Former Bear Joe Pawelek was honored as a finalist in 2009, earning Baylor's first post-graduate scholarship from the NFF since Don Trull in 1963.

The Campbell Trophy is in its 23^rd year honoring college football's top scholar-athlete. Candidates must be seniors or graduate students in their final years of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2, 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 Awards Committee will announce up to 16 finalists Oct. 25. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. Each member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will travel to New York City to be honored at the 55^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 4 at the Waldorf Astoria, and the winner of the Campbell Trophy will be announced at the dinner.

Florence has led Baylor to a 3-0 start by completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. He leads the nation in total offense, averaging 387.7 yards per game, and he ranks second in the Big 12 with 334.7 passing yards per game.

The senior from Garland, Texas, has passed for more than 300 yards and at least three touchdowns in each of the Bears' first three games this season. He set career highs with four TD passes against both SMU and Louisiana-Monroe.

Named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total post-graduate scholarship of $25,000. A total distribution of $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, pushing the program's all-time distributions to more than $10.1 million.