Penn State Football: Brandon Smith Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

Penn State senior linebacker Brandon Smith is a semifinalists for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy.

The 12-14 finalists will be announced on Nov. 1, each receiving an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Penn State’s lone Campbell Trophy winner was John Urschel in 2013.

Smith, who was selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, has 11 tackles, including two tackles for loss, in four games this season. The season prior, Smith ranked sixth on the team with 54 tackles and led the squad with two interceptions. He also had three pass breakups and 4.0 tackles for loss. Smith was selected as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after posting 14 tackles in a win over Maryland.

A native of Winfield, Pennsylvania, Smith graduated with a degree in kinesiology last December. He is working on a second degree in health policy and administration and owns a 3.81 GPA. He is a seventh-time Dean’s List honoree and recorded a pair of 4.0 semesters during his academic career. In 2016, Smith was selected CoSIDA Academic All-District and was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient. He intends on working in the health care field.

The senior is also active in the community. In addition to the numerous community service activities that he does as part of the Nittany Lions, Smith helps with his wife’s non-profit organization, Honduran Soles, which provides shoes to kids that need them in various countries. He and his wife traveled to Honduras during spring break in 2015 helped build a soccer field. He and his wife have volunteered at homeless shelters, and done other community work through their church, Revival Tabernacle, in Watsontown, Pennsylvania, near his hometown.