NDSU QB Stick Named Finalist for Campbell Trophy
Stick earns an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship for being one of 13 finalists.
IRVING, Texas (NDSU Athletics) — The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday, Oct. 31, that North Dakota State quarterback Easton Stick is one of 13 finalists in all of college football for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
The 13 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. One member of the class will be selected as the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his scholarship increased to $25,000.
The final selection will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday, Dec. 4, and will be streamed live on ESPN3 starting at 7:30 p.m. Central.
Stick graduated from NDSU last winter with a 3.92 GPA in sport management and currently has a 4.0 in the master’s of business administration program. He is NDSU’s first NFF National Scholar-Athlete and earlier this fall was selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
| 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy Finalists | ||||
| SCHOLAR-ATHLETE | POSITION | SCHOOL | GPA | MAJOR |
| Kenneth Brinson | LB | Army West Point | 3.96 | Chemical Engineering |
| Taryn Christion | QB | South Dakota State | 3.61 | Business Economics |
| De’Arius Christmas | LB | Grambling State | 3.82 | Engineering Technology |
| D’Cota Dixon | S | Wisconsin | 3.32 | Rehabilitation Psychology |
| Ryan Finley | QB | North Carolina State | 3.76 | Psychology |
| Piercen Harnish | LB | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 3.96 | Finance |
| Trace McSorley | QB | Penn State | 3.31 | Accounting |
| Dalton Risner | OL | Kansas State | 3.60 | Communication Studies |
| Max Scharping | OL | Northern Illinois | 3.99 | Kinesiology |
| Eric Stevenson | LB | Wheaton (Ill.) | 3.83 | Economics |
| Easton Stick | QB | North Dakota State | 3.92 | Sport Management |
| Drue Tranquill | LB | Notre Dame | 3.73 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Christian Wilkins | DL | Clemson | 3.33 | Communication Studies |
A 2017 FCS ADA Academic All-Star and two-time first team Academic All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, Stick has excelled in the classroom. He was a 2017 MVFC President’s Council Academic Award recipient, a three-time winner of the MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award and a four-time MVFC Honor Roll member.
This season, Stick has thrown for 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns while also rushing for nine touchdowns and 345 yards. He has led North Dakota State to the No. 1 FCS national ranking and a perfect 8-0 record (5-0 conference) – part of a 14-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the FCS. Boasting a 160.7 passing efficiency, which ranks second in the conference, Stick has twice been named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week this year following stellar performances against Northern Iowa and Delaware.
A three-year captain, Stick led North Dakota State to national championship games in 2015 and 2017, winning the FCS title both seasons. The 2017 FCS Championship Game MVP, Stick has helped the Bison finish no lower than third nationally the last three seasons. The 2017 CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year and a two-time honorable mention all-conference selection, he guided the Bison to a share of the MVFC title in 2015 and 2016 and the outright conference title in 2017. Boasting an impressive 42-3 record as a starting quarterback, Stick owns the Bison record with 73 career passing touchdowns while ranking second in NDSU history with 9,489 yards of total offense and 7,298 passing yards in his career. He also sits second in school annals in career pass attempts (847) and third in completions (508).
A member of the 2018 AFCA Good Works Team and the NDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Stick served on the Summit League Food Fight committee that raised more than $2,000 and collected 2,000 pounds of food for the Fargo Emergency Food Pantry. Stick helped raised $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and he organized the first on-campus football camp for the Special Olympics. He also participates in numerous hospital and school visits and serves as a guest speaker with various youth groups.
