DALLAS --- Four Tusculum College student-athletes have been named to the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society. Tusculum's honorees include Jarrell NeSmith, John Gregory, Nate Binder and Ryan Tallent.

To qualify for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, a student-athletes must: be a starter or significant reserve in one's last year of eligibility at an accredited NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III or an NAIA college or university; achieve a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout the entire course of undergraduate study; and meet all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

NeSmith, a 6-2, 225-pound tight end from Russellville, Ala., closed out one of the most decorated football careers in Tusculum history this past fall, both on and off the field. NeSmith graduated from Tusculum in December as a Pre-Medicine major with a 3.87 cumulative grade point average. He has also been accepted to attend medical school at Lincoln Memorial University.

NeSmith was 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. Earlier this month, he was named the recipient of the Tusculum College President's Award.

On the field, NeSmith was 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. He posted 56 catches for 678 yards (5th in TC history) and three touchdowns. His 5.6 catches per game average finished tied for the 43rd best in the nation. He was also named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Super Region 2 First Team for a second straight year and was selected to the Associated Press Little All-America Team.

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 was a two-time ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American®, 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 was named to the Academic All-America® Second Team last year.

NeSmith was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Football, becoming 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 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.

This past December, he was named to the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Team and was one of only 16 national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, 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 the only NCAA Division II player amongst the honorees that included Campbell Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida and fellow Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy of Texas.

NeSmith 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. 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.

Gregory, a 6-2, 210-pound punter from Ooltewah, Tenn., also graduated in December with a 3.81 GPA and majoring in Sport Management. The four-time All-Region and All-SAC honoree ended his career as the greatest punter in school history, establishing TC marks in punt attempts (219), punting yards (9,120) and average career average (41.64). He led the league in punting average for a third time in four years in 2009. Gregory finished with a 41.52 average this season, which was the seventh best in Tusculum history.

Gregory, a 2008 All-American, pinned the opposition inside its respective 20-yard line on 15 occasions, including four times in this year's home finale win over Mars Hill College, earning him D2football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Gregory has also been recognized for his accomplishments in the classroom, being named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District team three times in his career.

In his two seasons at Tusculum, Binder accounted for one of the best receiving careers in school history. In just 22 games in the Black & Orange, Binder posted 1,569 receiving yards on 85 receptions, averaging 18.46 yards per catch, which is currently the second-best average in school history. His yardage tally is seventh most in TC history, while his 13 touchdown receptions at Tusculum are tied for fourth. Including his two seasons at Missouri Science & Technology (formerly Missouri-Rolla), Binder has totaled 2,175 receiving yards on 128 receptions (16.99 ypc).

Binder, a 6-2, 200-pound product of Maidstone, Ontario, Canada, earned All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors in 2008 as he tied a TC record with nine TD receptions. He also tied for first in the league averaging 78.7 receiving yards per game. He finished his first TC campaign with 944 yards on 49 catches in 12 games, while leading the Pioneers to a SAC Championship, a 9-4 record and the program's first NCAA Division II Playoff appearance.

Binder was selected as the first pick in the fourth round by the British Columbia Lions in the 2010 Canadian Football League College Draft. Binder was the 24th overall pick in this year's CFL Draft, becoming the 23rd player in school history to sign a contract to play professional football, but the first Pioneer to sign with a CFL franchise.

Binder graduated from Tusculum this past Saturday as Pre-Medicine major, with a 3.71 GPA. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List was the 2009-10 recipient of the E.H. Sergeant Science Award.

Tallent, a 5-10 receiver from Maryville, Tenn., graduated during the College's commencement ceremonies Saturday. He finished with a 3.43 GPA, while majoring in Sport Management.

He wrapped up one of the finest playing careers in school history as the three-time All-SAC First Team selection led the league in receptions per game for a third consecutive season, averaging 5.9 per contest. During his career, the 2008 Football Gazette All-American established two school records, including all-purpose yards (3,838) and receptions (214). Tallent also finished second in TC history with 2,341 receiving yards, which are the 11th most in SAC history.

In 2008, Tallent tied school records with his 92 receptions and nine TD catches. His 989 receiving yards were the second-most ever posted by a Pioneer, while his 2,772 all-purpose yards are third in TC history. Majoring in Sport Management, Tallent was named to the 2007 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team and is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

A total of 620 players from 246 schools qualified for membership in the society's fourth year, an 80 percent increase from the inaugural class in 2007.

"The NFF's mission is to build leaders through football, and this year's Hampshire Honor Society members are living proof of that charge," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "Each of these young men has showcased a strong desire to succeed on and off the football field, and we are certainly proud to honor them for their accomplishments as the next generation of our nation's leaders."

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