Florida Gators' Jeremiah Moon Nominated for Campbell Trophy
Announced yesterday, the Florida Gators have nominated outside linebacker/defensive end (BUCK) Jeremiah Moon for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the Football Foundation released via social media on Thursday.
The Campbell Trophy is thought of as the most prestigious and sought-after "academic" award in college football. It recognizes an athlete's academic success, football performance and "exemplary" leadership.
"Selected by the NFF Awards Committee in October, the finalists and the winner are all honored at the in December at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Each finalist receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the Presented by Fidelity Investments," the National Football Foundation states via its website.
"During the event, one member of the class is selected as the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® presented by Mazda as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and has his postgraduate scholarship increased to a total of $25,000. The award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy."
Last season, former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert won the award, which is given during the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
To be nominated the athlete must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
Moon, entering his redshirt senior season, has made 21 starts in his career thus far as a BUCK linebacker/end in the Gators' defensive scheme. A 6-foot-6, 228 pounds Moon has 88 tackles nine tackles-for-loss, five sacks, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Last season, Moon tallied 31 total tackles, three sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 20 quarterback pressures (per Pro Football Focus).
Moon has already generated praise from Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, a former NFL scout.
"While it hasn’t translated into great stats yet, [Florida outside linebacker] Jeremiah Moon is one of the most physically talented defenders in ‘21 draft," said Nagy. "Moon is [the] only guy we’ve seen so far that flashes high ceiling rush talent and can also run with [tight ends] down the seam."
Receiving an opportunity to showcase his skills at the Senior Bowl would pay dividends for Moon. Last season, five Gators made the trip to Mobile, Ala., including running back Lamical Perine, wide receivers Van Jefferson and Tyrie Cleveland and defensive ends Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga.
All five players were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Moon is only the latest Gators athlete to be nominated or placed on a watch list for an award. Over the past several months, seven Florida players have received the honor. Quarterback Kyle Trask has earned four such honors, including the Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Maxwell Award.
