(Peru, Neb)—On Wednesday, April 13, it was announced that nine senior Peru State football players were named as 2022 members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society. The members consist of NCAA and NAIA football players who maintained a 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career. The Bobcats led the NAIA with nine members for 2022.
 
Peru State was one of 52 schools who had at least nine honorees this year. You can look at the lengthy list of schools from the NCAA/NAIA below:

Brown, Carnegie Mellon (PA), Catholic (DC), Central (IA), Chadron State (NE), Chicago (IL), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CA), Coastal Carolina, Columbia, Cornell, Cornell Sprint Football, Dartmouth, Davidson, Dayton, DePauw (IN), Franklin & Marshall (PA), Gustavus Adolphus (MN), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Harvard, Hendrix (AR), Hillsdale (MI), Illinois, Iowa State, Ithaca (NY), Johns Hopkins (MD), Kalamazoo (MI), Lake Forest (IL), Loras (IA), Macalester (MN), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio Northern, Peru State (NE), Pomona-Pitzer (CA), Redlands (CA), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY), Rochester (NY), Rose-Hulman (IN), Saint John's (MN), Sioux Falls (SD), St. Lawrence (NY), St. Thomas, Stanford, Stonehill (MA), Texas A&M-Commerce, Tufts (MA), Union (NY), Washington & Jefferson (PA), Washington Univ. in St. Louis (MO), Wheaton (IL) and Williams (MA).
 
"An elite group of 1,559 players from 313 schools qualified for membership in 2022, the Society's 16th year. The 1,559 honorees are the second most in a single year during the program's history. The initiative has now honored 14,640 student-athletes since its inception," Per the NFF Hampshire Society Membership release.
 
"As the National Football Foundation celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022, we are pleased to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell per the NFF's release. "Over the last 16 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives."
 
Here is what chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies Jon F. Hanson had to say about the Society…
 
"It was my great privilege to endow the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which has greatly increased the number of college student-athletes the NFF has been able to recognize during the past 16 years," said Hanson. "Nationwide there are thousands of football players excelling in the classroom, and they are going on to become great leaders."
 
Chairman Archie Manning added this about the society…
 
"We have honored more than 14,000 student-athletes in the last 16 years thanks to Jon Hanson's generosity," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "We are grateful for his passionate belief in the scholar-athlete ideal, and the Hampshire Honor Society allows us to showcase the names of tomorrow's leaders while inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps." 
 
Here is what the football players must have in order to qualify for membership:
 

  • Completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2021.
  • Graduated players, who have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football), may also be nominated.
  • Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale).
  • Met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements; and
  • Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2021 season.

 
There are 771 schools who participate in this prestigious academic membership each year.
 
Here are the nine outstanding seniors from Peru State who won the award:
 
OL Joseph Cervantes (Wilimington, Calif.)
OL Dylan Dittman (Omaha, Neb.)
DE Parker Gutschow (Elkhorn, Neb.)
OL Jacob Hughes (Peculiar, Mo.)
DE Michael Lombardi (Peru, Neb.)
QB Sohail Mohsini (Brentwood, Calif.)
RB Ki'Jana Owens (North Platte, Neb.)
LB Travis Reed (Hickman, Neb.)
DL Ethan Skarmas (Palm Desert, Calif.)
 
On behalf of the Peru State athletic department, congratulations to these nine outstanding young men.
 
For more information on the NFF Hampshire Honor Society please visit this link: https://bit.ly/3E9iUxd