NFF Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Saint John's University senior defensive lineman Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) has been named one of 175 semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy and is a candidate for the 2025 National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments. 

The NFF and College Football Hall of Fame made the announcement Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Frank is one of 33 student-athletes from NCAA Division III and one of two nominees from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) for the Campbell Trophy – joining St. Olaf defensive end Noah Barrett.

Since 1995, 24 Johnnies have been nominated for the Campbell Trophy. SJU is the lone program of 658 NCAA schools that play football to have nominated a Campbell Trophy scholar-athlete each of the past 23 seasons.

The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation and up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of the prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have shown outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor and must have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. 

Launched in 1959, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program awards $18,000 scholarships that can be used for the honorees' postgraduate education. SJU has produced four NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award winners: defensive lineman Michael Wozniak '22 (2022), linebacker Carter Hanson '17 (2016), linebacker Matt Hawn '06 (2005) and wide receiver Chris Palmer '96 (1995).

The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, members of the College Football Hall of Fame and athletics administrators.

The NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22. Each of them will receive a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy during the 67th Annual NFF Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

An accounting major (exercise and health science minor) with a 3.86 GPA, Frank was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America second team and collected his second CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-MIAC (minimum 3.5 GPA) honors last season. He is a five-time Dean's list honoree (minimum 3.80 GPA) out of eight semesters at SJU.

On the field, Frank was named to the 2024 D3football.com All-America fourth team after he garnered his second-consecutive D3football.com All-Region and All-MIAC honors last fall. He led the team in sacks (9.0) and quarterback hurries (6), and was second in tackles for loss (11.5) for a defense that ended the 2024 regular season as the NCAA Division III leader on fourth down (20 percent/5-for-25), third in sacks (4.10 spg.), sixth in the red zone (.565/13-for-23); eighth against the run (53.8 ypg.) and 19th in points allowed (13.0 ppg.). In 2023, Frank led SJU with nine tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries, and tied for the team lead with 5.5 sacks in 10 games.

So far in 2025, Frank has six tackles (four solo), including 4.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks in two games. That places him atop the MIAC leaderboard and 10th in Division III in tackles for loss per game (2.25) and 19th in sacks per game (1.25). Frank has 82 tackles (44 solo), including 27.5 tackles for a loss, 18.0 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 33 career games.

Off the field, Frank is in his fifth year raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a member of the SJU football team. The Johnnies raised $63,700 last fall, the program's 10th year supporting the organization. He studied abroad in London during Spring 2024 and participated in a service internship with Boxing Futures, which is an outreach program for at-risk youth (ages 12-25). Frank helped set up and run boxing sessions each week for the participants, as well as reached out to other potential sites for more programs to be established in the future.

He helped start a club on campus called Johnnies and Bennies in Community (JBIC) in Fall 2024. The first location was Madison Elementary School in St. Cloud, where the club created a mentorship program for kids who need a positive influence in their life. There are currently 15 mentors going to the school either once or twice each week for an hour.

Frank was named SJU's 2023-24 NovaCare Comeback Athlete of the Year. Honorees must have suffered a substantial injury and be known to SJU's NovaCare Rehabilitation on-campus, physical therapy professionals. NovaCare is the preferred physical therapy and athletic training services provider for Saint John's University. Frank suffered a severe lateral bucket handle meniscus tear during the third game of the 2022 season and was initially told the timeline to return to high-intensity training was five months. Due to hard work and dedication to the rehabilitation program, he was cleared for full participation one month early.  

No. 4 SJU (2-0, 1-0 MIAC) hosts Augsburg (1-1, 1-0 MIAC) for Homecoming at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 27, in Collegeville.

SJU's Campbell Trophy Nominees/Honorees Since 1995
2025 - Defensive Lineman Zach Frank '25
2024 - Quarterback Aaron Syverson '23
2023 - Quarterback Aaron Syverson '23
2022 - Defensive Lineman Michael Wozniak '23 (Finalist and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient)
2021 - Quarterback Chris Backes '21 
2020 - Quarterback Chris Backes '21 
2019 - Quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 
2018 - Wide Receiver Will Gillach '19 
2017 - Linebacker David Franta '18 
2016 - Linebacker Carter Hanson '17 (Finalist and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient)
2015 - Linebacker Drake Matuska '16 
2014 - Tight End J.T. Ford '15 
2013 - Defensive Back Dylan Graves '14 
2012 - Running Back Stephen Johnson '13 
2011 - Defensive Back Andrew Rotschafer '11 
2010 - Offensive Lineman Jeff Gilbertson '11 
2009 - Defensive Back Dominic Haik '10 
2008 - Running Back Jeff Schnobrich '09 
2007 - Defensive Back John Cloeter '08 
2006 - Linebacker Jamie Steffensmeier '06 
2005 - Linebacker Matt Hawn '06 (Finalist and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient)
2004 - Linebacker Paul Gans '05 
2003 - Wide Receiver Blake Elliott '03
2002 - No Nominee
2001 - Tight End/Punter Zach McBroom '02 
1996-2000 - No Nominee
1995 - Wide Receiver Chris Palmer '96 (Finalist and NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient)