SFA Football's Thomas Among William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalists
9/24/2025 4:23:00 PM | Football
Elkhart, Texas native is one of 44 FCS student-athletes that make up the 177 college football players named semifinalist for prestigious honor
IRVING, Texas - SFA football graduate defensive lineman Ky Thomas has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy; college football's premier scholar-athlete award which is bestowed annually to the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Thomas represented the 'Jacks in San Antonio for the Southland Conference's Opening Drive, the league's annual preseason football media days. He was voted by his teammates as one of 15 Lumberjacks to receive a single digit number prior to the '25 season. The Texan, who is a member of the program's leadership council, is donning the number zero during his final season as a Lumberjack. In three games this fall, Thomas has collected nine tackles, three hurries and a pass breakup. For his career, Thomas has recorded 80.0 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss (68), and 4.5 sacks (36) and has been responsible for 18 quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
Off the field, Thomas has participated in numerous community service initiatives including the Nacogdoches Blueberry Festival, Thanksgiving Homebound Project, MLK Day of Service and SFA football kids camp.
2025 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS NOTES
Selected by the National Football Foundation Awards Committee in October, the finalists and the winner are all honored at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas in December. Each finalist receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. During the event, one member of the class is selected as the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and has his postgraduate scholarship increased to a total of $25,000.
Each recipient also receives a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy that was designed based on the vintage NFF logo, which was the organization's primary mark from 1959 to 2010.
Following the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® is honored at several prestigious events. He will take part in ESPN's virtual "The Home Depot College Football Awards" on Thursday, where he will be interviewed live during the show. Finally, he is honored on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
Known as "The Coach of Silicon Valley," Bill Campbell became one of our country's most influential business leaders, playing critical roles in the success of Apple, Google, Intuit and countless other high tech companies. The captain of the 1961 Columbia Ivy League championship team, he found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop, and manage talented executives - all lessons learned on the gridiron - proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success. Later in life, Campbell was driven by a heartfelt desire to give back, and he quietly gave away tens of millions of dollars to multiple charities while also finding an hour and half each autumn weekday to coach an eighth-grade boys and girls flag-football team near his home in Palo Alto, California. Campbell passed away April 18, 2016, at the age of 75.
With an average GPA of 3.74, past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and nine first round NFL Draft picks. Additionally, 23 of the 35 winners have made their mark in the NFL. If you hold the title Campbell Trophy® recipient, you are one of the following: a university president, a doctor, a lawyer, a world-wide leader in climatology research, a PhD nuclear engineer executive, a partner in a highly successful real estate firm, a director with a non-profit foundation, high school football coach, television broadcaster or personality, insurance executive, corporate executive, assistant college football coach, philanthropist, humanitarian, U.S. Army captain, consulting analyst, financial advisor or PhD candidate, and that does not include the five recipients still playing in the NFL.
"Ky is the epitome of #EastTexasTough," remarked head football coach Colby Carthel. "He plays the game of football the way it should be played and he has earned the respect of his teammates. He's become a great leader for our football team and he's a great representative of what it takes to be a Lumberjack. Ky made the decision to come back and continue his career while pursuing his Masters degree and that speaks highly of the type of man he is."
The Elkhart, Texas native graduated Cum Laude in May 2023 with a Business Administration and Management degree from SFA. He carried an undergraduate GPA of 3.50 and is currently pursuing his MBA. Thomas is one of 20 Lumberjacks playing during the 2025 season that has already earned a bachelor's degree.Thomas represented the 'Jacks in San Antonio for the Southland Conference's Opening Drive, the league's annual preseason football media days. He was voted by his teammates as one of 15 Lumberjacks to receive a single digit number prior to the '25 season. The Texan, who is a member of the program's leadership council, is donning the number zero during his final season as a Lumberjack. In three games this fall, Thomas has collected nine tackles, three hurries and a pass breakup. For his career, Thomas has recorded 80.0 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss (68), and 4.5 sacks (36) and has been responsible for 18 quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
Off the field, Thomas has participated in numerous community service initiatives including the Nacogdoches Blueberry Festival, Thanksgiving Homebound Project, MLK Day of Service and SFA football kids camp.
???? ????????????
— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) September 24, 2025
Among the ???????????????? ???????? in the country for academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership??#AxeEm x #EastTexasTough pic.twitter.com/HlkLYgDxGp
2025 WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® SEMIFINALISTS NOTES
- 36th year of the William V. Campbell Trophy®
- 67th year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments
- 177 Semifinalists
- 3.60 Average GPA
- 91 Nominees who have already earned their bachelor's degrees (including one player with three bachelor's degrees)
- 5 Nominees who have earned a master's degree (including one player with two master's degrees)
- 5 Nominees with a perfect 4.0 GPA
- 55 Nominees with a 3.8 GPA or better
- 74 Nominees with a 3.7 GPA or better
- 13 Academic All-America selections
- 111 Captains
- 20 All-Americans
- 94 All-Conference picks
- 78 Nominees from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
- 44 Nominees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
- 15 Nominees from NCAA Division II
- 33 Nominees from NCAA Division III
- 7 Nominees from the NAIA
- 88 Offensive Players
- 75 Defensive Players
- 14 Special Teams Players
Selected by the National Football Foundation Awards Committee in October, the finalists and the winner are all honored at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas in December. Each finalist receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. During the event, one member of the class is selected as the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and has his postgraduate scholarship increased to a total of $25,000.
Each recipient also receives a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy that was designed based on the vintage NFF logo, which was the organization's primary mark from 1959 to 2010.
Following the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® is honored at several prestigious events. He will take part in ESPN's virtual "The Home Depot College Football Awards" on Thursday, where he will be interviewed live during the show. Finally, he is honored on the field during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
Known as "The Coach of Silicon Valley," Bill Campbell became one of our country's most influential business leaders, playing critical roles in the success of Apple, Google, Intuit and countless other high tech companies. The captain of the 1961 Columbia Ivy League championship team, he found his true calling after an unlikely career change at age 39 from football coach to advertising executive. His ability to recruit, develop, and manage talented executives - all lessons learned on the gridiron - proved to be a critical component of his ability to inspire his business teams to the highest levels of success. Later in life, Campbell was driven by a heartfelt desire to give back, and he quietly gave away tens of millions of dollars to multiple charities while also finding an hour and half each autumn weekday to coach an eighth-grade boys and girls flag-football team near his home in Palo Alto, California. Campbell passed away April 18, 2016, at the age of 75.
With an average GPA of 3.74, past recipients of the Campbell Trophy® include two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, two Heisman Trophy winners and nine first round NFL Draft picks. Additionally, 23 of the 35 winners have made their mark in the NFL. If you hold the title Campbell Trophy® recipient, you are one of the following: a university president, a doctor, a lawyer, a world-wide leader in climatology research, a PhD nuclear engineer executive, a partner in a highly successful real estate firm, a director with a non-profit foundation, high school football coach, television broadcaster or personality, insurance executive, corporate executive, assistant college football coach, philanthropist, humanitarian, U.S. Army captain, consulting analyst, financial advisor or PhD candidate, and that does not include the five recipients still playing in the NFL.
10.16.23 | Football x Coach Carthel Press Conference
Tuesday, October 17
10.2.23 | Football x Week Six Presser
Monday, October 02
9.22.23 | Purple Lights Spotlight x Jarvis Anderson - SFA Football
Tuesday, September 26
9.18.23 | Football x Week Four Presser Colby Carthel Press Conference
Monday, September 18
