Foster Named NFF National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy Finalist

Full NFF Release With Bios For Each Finalist

IRVING, Texas – Hardin-Simmons University safety Harrison Foster has been named a 2026 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete and finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award.

Foster becomes just the second Hardin-Simmons student-athlete to earn NFF National Scholar-Athlete recognition and the first since ZaVious Robbins was honored in 2009. As one of just 18 finalists selected from a record 206 semifinalists nationwide, Foster will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and travel to Las Vegas for the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, where the 2026 Campbell Trophy winner will be announced.

“I was honored even to be nominated and to now be named a finalist is very humbling,” said Foster. “I just try to do the best I can do in whatever situation I am in – if that’s on the football field, in school, in the locker room, relationships, whatever it may be, I was raised to give my best. To be recognized for that is awesome. I appreciate the selection committee for picking me as a finalist”

A native of Sweetwater, Texas, Foster has distinguished himself through exceptional achievement in the classroom, on the football field and in the community. He was the only Division III player selected as a finalist.

“Being named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy is one of the highest honors in college athletics,” Hardin-Simmons head coach Jesse Burleson said. “Harrison embodies everything this award represents. He is an outstanding student, an elite football player, and a tremendous leader who impacts everyone around him. We are incredibly proud of him and grateful for the example he sets for our program.”

Foster graduated summa cum laude in May 2026 with a degree in finance, posting a 3.91 GPA, and is currently pursuing his MBA. He was named the 2025-26 American Southwest Conference Man of the Year, the league’s highest honor for a student-athlete, while also earning the 2025 ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award and Hardin-Simmons’ Male Athlete Medal of Honor.

A 2025 CSC Second Team Academic All-American and Academic All-District selection, Foster is a two-time Academic All-ASC honoree and earned President’s List recognition four times during his academic career.

On the field, Foster has been one of the top defensive players in NCAA Division III football. A two-year team captain and two-year letterman, he earned Associated Press Second Team All-America honors in 2025 and was selected First Team All-Region by D3football.com. He is also a two-time First Team All-American Southwest Conference selection.

During his first two seasons with the Cowboys, Foster compiled 167 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five interceptions, 13 pass breakups and three forced fumbles while helping Hardin-Simmons capture back-to-back ASC championships and make consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Playoffs.

In 2025, Foster tied the school record with two interceptions returned for touchdowns, including a 97-yard return against East Texas Baptist that established the longest defensive touchdown in program history. Earlier this season, he matched that school record with another 97-yard interception return in the Wilford Moore Trophy game against crosstown rival McMurry on Oct. 10.

Through games of Oct. 17, Foster has recorded 34 tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble and six pass breakups this season. His 34 tackles rank second on the team, while his seven passes defended rank fourth in the American Southwest Conference. He has helped lead the Cowboys to a 5-0 start and a No. 6 national ranking in the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll.

Foster’s impact extends well beyond football and academics. He has volunteered with Special Olympics of West Texas, participated in the Reading with the Cowboys program at local elementary schools, helped organize High Five Fridays events promoting educational engagement, contributed to the Houses for Healing community service project and remained active with the Tri-City Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the “Academic Heisman,” recognizes the nation’s top football scholar-athlete for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. Established in 1990, the award is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is composed of a nationally recognized group of media, NFF College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

Hardin-Simmons has produced 14 Campbell Trophy nominees since 2009, including Robbins, who was also named a finalist. Foster joins Robbins as the only Cowboys to advance to the finalist stage and become an NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

The 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class will be honored Dec. 8 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, where one finalist will be announced as the recipient of the 37th William V. Campbell Trophy and receive an increased postgraduate scholarship of $25,000.

2026 Finalists

• Byrum Brown, QB – Auburn // Health Science & Public Health (3.81 GPA)
• Beau Brungard, QB – Youngstown State // Business Administration (3.82 GPA)
• Ty Bryant, DB – Kentucky // Sport Communication (3.83 GPA)
• Arion Carter, LB – Tennessee // Public Health (3.53 GPA)
• Jaden Craig, QB – TCU // Economics (3.56 GPA)
• Robert Fitzgerald, DB – Northwestern // Economics, Learning & Org. Change (3.71 GPA)
• Titan Fleischmann, OL – Montana State // Political Science (3.81 GPA)
• Harrison Foster, S – Hardin-Simmons (TX) // Finance (3.91 GPA)
• Carson Hinzman, OL – Ohio State // Sport Industry (3.41 GPA)
• Bray Hubbard, DB – Alabama // Sport Management (3.58 GPA)
• Maddux Madsen, QB – Boise State // Interdisciplinary Professional Studies (3.68 GPA)
• Andrew Miller, RB – Harding (AR) // Kinesiology (3.66 GPA)
• Dante Moore, QB – Oregon // Sociology (3.27 GPA)
• Nick Rinaldi, LB – Vanderbilt // Economics (3.97 GPA)
• Duce Robinson, WR – Florida State // Interdisciplinary Social Science (3.90 GPA)
• Shea Ruddy, WR/KR – Hillsdale (MI) // Biochemistry (3.72 GPA)
• Gunner Stockton, QB – Georgia // Sport Management (3.27 GPA)
• Ethan Wesloski, LB – Oklahoma State // Kinesiology & Exercise Science (3.86 GPA)

2026 NFF Campbell Trophy® Finalists Highlights

• 3.68 average GPA
• 17 captains (permanent or game), including eight two-year captains (Brown, Brungard, Carter, Fleischmann, Foster, Madsen, Robinson, Stockton)
• 14 players who have already graduated (Brown, Brungard, Carter, Craig, Fitzgerald, Fleischmann, Foster, Hinzman, Hubbard, Madsen, Rinaldi, Robinson, Stockton, Wesloski), including two players who have already earned a master’s degree (Fleischmann, Rinaldi)
• 8 Academic All-America selections (Bryant, Fitzgerald, Fleischmann, Foster, Hubbard, Miller, Robinson, Ruddy)
• 14 players receiving conference academic honors (Brungard, Bryant, Carter, Fitzgerald, Foster, Hinzman, Hubbard, Madsen, Miller, Rinaldi, Robinson, Ruddy, Stockton, Wesloski)
• 8 All-America performers (Brungard, Fleischmann, Foster, Hinzman, Hubbard, Miller, Robinson, Ruddy)
• 2 conference Players of the Year (Brungard, Ruddy)
• 17 All-Conference selections (Brown [at USF], Brungard, Bryant, Carter, Craig [at Harvard], Fitzgerald, Fleischmann, Foster, Hinzman, Hubbard, Madsen, Miller, Moore, Robinson, Ruddy, Stockton, Wesloski [at North Texas])
• 7 school record holders (Brown [at USF], Brungard, Craig [at Harvard], Foster, Miller, Moore, Ruddy)
• 3 members of national championship teams (Fleischmann, Hinzman, Miller)
• 7 members of conference championship teams (Fleischmann, Foster, Hubbard, Madsen, Miller, Moore, Stockton)
• 16 members of postseason teams (College Football Playoff – Carter, Hinzman, Hubbard, Madsen, Moore, Rinaldi, Stockton; FBS bowl games – Brown, Bryant, Fitzgerald, Robinson; FCS playoffs – Brungard, Craig [at Harvard], Fleischmann; Division II playoffs – Miller; Division III playoffs – Foster)
• 11 members of currently ranked teams (Brungard—No. 4 Youngstown State [FCS], Bryant—No. 12 Kentucky, Carter—No. 11 Tennessee, Fitzgerald—No. 24 Northwestern, Fleischmann—No. 3 Montana State [FCS], Foster—No. 6 Hardin-Simmons [TX—III], Hinzman—No. 3 Ohio State, Hubbard—No. 13 Alabama, Madsen—No. 21 Boise State, Miller—No. 2 Harding [AR—II], Stockton—No. 5 Georgia)
• 1 player who is the first NFF National Scholar-Athlete from his school (Ruddy)
• 11 offensive players (Brown, Brungard, Craig, Fleischmann, Hinzman, Madsen, Miller, Moore, Robinson, Ruddy, Stockton)
• 7 defensive players (Bryant, Carter, Fitzgerald, Foster, Hubbard, Rinaldi, Wesloski)

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