Penn State's Sean Clifford, Gov. Mifflin grad Isaac Ruoss named Campbell semifinalists
Oct. 1—Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and Navy fullback Isaac Ruoss, a Gov. Mifflin grad, are among 176 college football players who have been named as semifinalists for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the nation's premier scholar-athlete.
Clifford, who's in his third season as Penn State's starting quarterback, graduated with a degree in public relations in December. He's pursuing a second degree in journalism while carrying a 3.45 grade-point average.
He leads the Big Ten in yards per pass attempt (9.65) and is 12th nationally. He's second in the conference in completion percentage (.717; 14th nationally), completions per game (21.5; 23rd) and passing efficiency (171.4; 14th).
Ruoss is a quantitative economics major with a 3.87 GPA and had just four B's in his first three years at the U.S. Naval Academy. He's the third-leading rusher for the Midshipmen (0-3) with 127 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries.
Candidates for the award must be a senior or a graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2, have outstanding ability as a first-team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
The National Football Foundation will announce between 12 and 14 finalists on Oct. 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The finalists will travel to Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Awards Dinner on Dec. 7, when the winner will be announced.
Clifford makes cut >> Penn State senior quarterback Sean Clifford is among the final 25 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, it was announced Thursday.
Purdue's Jack Plummer and Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa were the other Big Ten quarterbacks who made the cut from the original watch list.
The 2021 winner will be presented the Golden Arm Award trophy by The Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation president, John Unitas Jr., at the Golden Arm Award banquet and celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore on Dec. 10.
Beamon out >> Penn State defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon, who did not play in the first four games, will be "unavailable" for the rest of the season, coach James Franklin said Wednesday night after practice.
Franklin did not give a reason why Beamon will be sidelined. Beamon did participate in practice when media members were allowed to watch.
