ALBANY, Ga. – Albany State University defensive lineman Derrick Drayton has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy®, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
Drayton is one of just 19 NCAA Division II student-athletes among a record 206 semifinalists across all levels of college football. He is also the only student-athlete from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and the only NCAA Division II HBCU student-athlete selected as a semifinalist.
Celebrating its 37th year, the William V. Campbell Trophy recognizes college football's premier scholar-athlete based on academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Each institution is represented by one nominee, with the 2026 semifinalist class carrying an average GPA of 3.64.
Drayton has continued to make his presence felt on the field through the first four games of the 2026 season. The College Park, Georgia, native has recorded 15 total tackles, including eight solo stops and seven assists. He has also totaled four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.
The NFF will announce 12 to 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy on Oct. 21. Each finalist will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and become a member of the 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will be recognized at the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 in Las Vegas, where the Campbell Trophy recipient will be announced.
Drayton's selection places him among an elite group of scholar-athletes nationwide while representing Albany State, the SIAC and NCAA Division II HBCU football on the national stage.
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Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 12 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and football, with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.