NEW YORK --- Tusculum College tight end Jarrell NeSmith's bid for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes college football's National Scholar Athlete of the Year, has come to an end. University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, became the 20th recipient of the award, presented Tuesday night at The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's Annual Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

The Campbell Trophy is one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.

NeSmith was one of only 16 national finalists for the award and the only NCAA Division II player amongst the honorees. Each finalist, including NeSmith, receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.

This year's list of finalists includes: NeSmith, Tebow, Jon Asamoah (Illinois), Matt Bauman (Brigham Young), Eric Decker (Minnesota), Moses Harris (Fresno State), Tim Hiller (Western Michigan), Paul Jasinowski (Brown), Beau Kildow (Morningside), Josh Mahoney (Northern Iowa), Colt McCoy (Texas), Joe Pawelek (Baylor), Todd Reesing (Kansas), ZaVious Robbins (Hardin-Simmons), Blaine Westemeyer (Augustana) and Reed Williams (West Virginia).

"It has been a really a great opportunity to be here," said NeSmith. "I want to thank the National Football Foundation for considering me for the award. This group is the best of the best, and being honored with student-athletes such as this is truly an honor. I want to thank Tusculum College and everyone who has pushed me there. I have been truly blessed and I'm grateful to my family, friends, coaches and teammates who have been such an important part of my life."

NeSmith, a 6-2, 225-pound senior from Russellville, Ala., has closed out one of the most decorated football careers in Tusculum history, both on and off the field. The Pre-Medicine major has a 3.86 cumulative grade point average and is a member of the Tusculum President's List, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray List, South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and the TC Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

On the field, he is a two-time All-SAC First Team selection, including this year where he led the league in receiving yards per game, averaging 67.8 yards per contest. NeSmith has posted 56 catches for 678 yards (5th in TC history) and three touchdowns. He was also named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Super Region 2 First Team for a second straight year.

"We are all excited for Jarrell for this tremendous honor," said Tusculum head coach Frankie DeBusk. "He is the leader of our football team that every player respects and appreciates. He is an outstanding representative of Tusculum College, but also collegiate athletics in general. He leads by example and is the type of student-athlete that we hope all of our players will emulate. I'm very proud of him."

He earned All-America honors in 2008 from three organizations as he posted 67 receptions for 635 yards and seven touchdowns and was also an All-Conference and All-Region selection.

NeSmith is a two-time ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America®, including this year where he was a First Team selection. He becomes only the fourth Tusculum student-athlete to garner First Team recognition and also becomes only the second Pioneer to be a two-time Academic All-American®. He joins former women's soccer standout Denise Fliesser as the only two-time Academic All-American® in school history. He was named to the Academic All-America® Second Team last year.

He was also named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Football as NeSmith becomes the first three-time recipient of the award in conference history. It also marked the fifth straight year that a Tusculum player has earned SAC Scholar Athlete Football honors and seventh in the last eight seasons.

NeSmith has wrapped up his career with 158 receptions (3rd in TC history) for 1,670 yards (4th in TC history), both school records for a tight end.

He was selected as the 2008-09 recipient SAC Presidents Award, becoming only the second football player in the history of the award to earn the conference's most prestigious honor.

Earlier this fall, he was also a Southeast Region representative for the 2008-09 Division II Commissioner's Scholar Athlete Award and was a national semifinalist for the American Football Coaches Association's Good Works Team.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The centerpiece to the NFF's scholar-athlete program, which has awarded $9.2 million to 724 top athletes, the Campbell Trophy, first awarded in 1990, was renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal.

"The NFF mission is to build leaders through football, and the 2009 NFF National Scholar-Athlete class members stand as a testament to that creed," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "We look forward to supporting the bright futures of each of these fine young men, and we take great pride in holding them out as examples of football's unique ability to build tomorrow's leaders."

Candidates 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.

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