Steve Hatchell,
President & CEO

Media Contacts:
Phil Marwill | 917-579-4256

Alan Cox | 972-556-1000
NFF Chalktalk - May 3, 2017
As part of the NFF Faculty Salutes, sponsored by Fidelity Investments®, the NFF presented University of Arkansas Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Sharon Hunt with a commemorative plaque and the school with $5,000 during a special event April 29 on the Arkansas campus. Arkansas and Hunt were recognized for their efforts in fostering excellence among student-athletes as exemplified by 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Brooks Ellis.

Those in attendance at the event included Arkansas Senior Associate Athletics Director Jon Fagg, Fidelity Investments Vice President & Account Executive Katie HickneyNFF COO Matthew Sign and Arkansas Associate Athletics Director Kevin Trainor. Pictured above, L-R, are Hickney, Ellis, Dr. Hunt and Sign.
Members of the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class and Campbell Trophy finalists look to continue their football careers at the NFL level. East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. 2016 Campbell Trophy winner and Western Michigan quarterback Zach Terrell signed with the Baltimore Ravens, where he hopes to make a roster that features 2013 Campbell Trophy winner John Urschel (Penn State). Three others from the class signed as undrafted free agents, including BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (Green Bay Packers), Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush (Dallas Cowboys) and Northern Iowa defensive end Karter Schult (Cleveland Browns). San Jose State wide receiver Tim Crawley was  invited to the Browns' rookie minicamp. 
 
Four semifinalists for the 2016 Campbell Trophy were also selected in the 2017 NFL Draft: Wisconsin's Vince Biegel (Packers, fourth round), Memphis' Jake Elliott (Bengals, fifth round), Wyoming's Chase Roullier (Redskins, sixth round) and North Carolina State's Jack Tocho (Vikings, seventh round). 
 
Semifinalists for the 2016 Campbell Trophy who signed as undrafted free agents include Nebraska's Josh Banderas (Broncos), Mississippi State's Richie Brown (Buccaneers), Marshall's Emanuel Byrd (Chiefs), Missouri State's Dylan Cole (Texans), Virginia's Nicholas Conte (Browns), Missouri's Sean Culkin (Chargers), Utah's Hunter Dimick (Jaguars), Tulsa's Dane Evans (Jets), Eastern Michigan's Cole Gardner (Buccaneers), West Virginia's Tyler Orlosky (Eagles), Michigan State's Josiah Price (Vikings), Harvard's Max Rich (Patriots), Southern Miss' Cameron Tom (Saints), Miami (Fla.)'s Justin Vogel (Packers) and Pittsburg State (Kan.)'s Deron Washington (Falcons).

Members of the 2017 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career, were also chosen in the NFL Draft. Utah offensive tackle Garett Bolles was selected No. 20 overall by the Denver Broncos. Other members of the Hampshire Honor Society drafted include Vanderbilt's Will Holden (Cardinals, fifth round), Western Michigan's Taylor Moton (Panthers, second round), Oklahoma's Samaje Perine (Redskins, fourth round), Virginia Tech's Sam Rogers (Rams, sixth round) and Utah's Marcus Williams (Saints, second round). 
 
Members of the 2017 NFF Hampshire Honor Society who signed as undrafted free agents include Florida's Austin Appleby (Cowboys), Boise State's Travis Averill (Falcons), Cincinnati's Deyshawn Bond (Colts), Northwestern's Austin Carr (Patriots), Arkansas' Jared Collins (Rams), Utah State's Wyatt Houston (Chiefs), Weber State's Tre'Von Johnson (Cardinals), UConn's Andreas Knappe (Falcons), Georgia Southern's Younghoe Koo (Chargers), Illinois State's Cameron Lee (Saints), Illinois' Wes Lunt (Vikings), Boise State's Sam McCaskill (Vikings), Dartmouth's Charlie Miller (Jaguars), Toledo's Storm Norton (Lions), Michigan State's Tyler O'Connor (Bengals), Minnesota's Jonah Pirsig (Titans), Nebraska's Brandon Reilly (Bills), Arkansas' Dan Skipper (Cowboys), Boise State's Thomas Sperbeck (Buccaneers), Wayne State (Mich.)'s Nate Theaker (Cowboys) and Boise State's Mario Yakoo (Redskins).
 
NFF Board Member, NFL Commissioner and 2013 NFF Gold Medal recipient, Roger Goodell, welcomed the crowd and announced the first round selections. A number of special guests helped announce draft picks in rounds 2 and later, including College Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (Syracuse), Harry Carson (South Carolina State), Floyd Little (Syracuse), Jonathan Ogden (UCLA), John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Will Shields (Nebraska), Rod Smith (Missouri Southern State), Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State) and Jack Youngblood (Florida); Hall of Famers and NFF National Scholar-Athletes Tony Boselli (Southern California) and Randy Gradishar (Ohio State); 2010 Campbell Trophy winner Sam Acho (Texas); 1976 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Vince Ferragamo (Nebraska); and 2002 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Bradie James (LSU).
Managing Game Length: Point of Emphasis
Rogers Redding
Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of College Football Officiating, provides insights about rules changes and the mindset of college football referees. The CFO is the national professional organization for all football officials who work games at the collegiate level.

"Length of game" is a topic under active discussion among conference commissioners, athletics directors, television people and other stakeholders of college football. The NCAA football rules committee has also been looking at this, as game times have crept up over the last several years.

Since 2008, when games at the FBS level averaged three hours and nine minutes, game time on average in 2016 stretched to three hours and 22 minutes, an increase of 13 minutes. Of course, this is an average that washes out a lot of detail. But it is clear that with a growing number of teams running high-powered offenses that generate more plays and more touchdowns, the overall length of games has naturally gone up.

In discussing this trend, the rules committee has not settled on an optimum game length. But the general sense is that times as long as three and a half hours would not be good for the game. As the committee seeks ways to deal with this, we find very little support for making rules changes that would take plays out of the game. And so we look for ways to manage the length of the game by addressing how to manage the dead-ball times. Officials are charged with the responsibility of being efficient in handling dead-ball intervals and plays where the game clock stops, such as incomplete passes.

One point of emphasis for the officials this year will be to have better control of the length of halftime. By rule the halftime is 20 minutes, but there are often some delays in starting the countdown. Also, current rules allow the schools to mutually agree that the halftime will be longer than 20 minutes. One small but perhaps significant editorial change for 2017 is this: the teams will be allowed to agree on a shorter halftime, but they may not make it longer than 20 minutes. And the Referees are being instructed to start the 20-minute halftime countdown as soon as the first half ends, per the language of the rule. The hope is that these steps will halt the trend for longer game times.
College Football Corner at the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia:  During the NFL Draft April 27-29 in Philadelphia, fans were able to view College Football Hall of Fame memorabilia from former first-round draft picks and Philadelphia Eagles players, and cheer on draft prospects from their favorite college team. Life-size player mannequins (left) offered unique photo opportunities.

May 6, Teacher Appreciation Day: Join the Hall for Teacher Appreciation Day May 6 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Teachers receive free admission with valid ID as well as discounted rates for additional guests. The first 100 teachers will receive a special gift to take home.

May 14, Moms and Mimosas: Moms can visit the Hall for free this Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14. Bring the family to play while Mom gets a complimentary massage, manicure, and mimosa. And don't miss your chance to enter all-day raffles to win jewelry and gift cards from Kendra Scott. Then at 2 p.m., fans can hear from football moms that know the game. Hear inspiring insights from Wilma McNabb and more as they talk about the life of a football mom before, during and after their children's football careers.

June 10-11, Chick-fil-A Presents the Ultimate Father/Kids Campout: Test your abilities in the Skill Zone, watch movies, participate in group activities and more. Enjoy dinner and breakfast courtesy of Chick-fil-A and sleep out on the field. Click HERE to enter for a chance to win tickets to the campout!

About the College Football Hall of Fame: The Hall opened its doors Aug. 23, 2014, in the heart of Atlanta's sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive, interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and state-of-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. To plan your visit and purchase tickets, visit  www.cfbhall.com .
Quote of the Week
The Blitz
NFF Board Member and SEC c ommissioner Greg Sankey held an hour-long question-and-answer segment at the Associated Press Sports Editors region meeting.

GE, led by NFF Board Member and 2016 NFF Legacy Award recipient Jeff Immelt, has  scheduled  the groundbreaking for its new headquarters in Boston for May 8.

NFF Board Member and IMG College Chairman Emeritus Ben Sutton has been elected to the State of North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He will be inducted May 5 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

2017 College Football Hall of Fame electee Kirk Gibson will speak at Michigan State University's undergraduate convocation on May 5.

2017 College Football Hall of Fame electee Dat Nguyen (Texas A&M) and Hall of Famer Joe Greene (North Texas) will be inducted as part of the 2017 Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Class on May 6 during a dinner at Baylor University's Ferrell Center. Current Illinois head coach Lovie Smith and longtime high school coaches Steve Lineweaver (Euless Trinity) and Eddy Peach (Arlington Lamar - NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter honoree) are also part of the class.

College Football Hall of Fame linebacker Pat Fitzgerald signed a contract extension to remain his alma mater Northwestern's head football coach through 2026.

College Football Hall of Famer John Outland and 1985 NFF National Scholar-Athlete and current Holy Cross head football coach Tom Gilmore will be inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame on May 6.

College Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little (Syracuse) will be the keynote speaker at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet on Feb. 10, 2018.

College Football Hall of Famer Marty Lyons (Alabama) has assembled a team of 50 cyclists with the goal of raising $200,000 during the New York City TD 5 Borough Bike Ride on May 7 for his eponymous foundation, which fulfills the wishes of children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses.

College Football Hall of Famer Mel Renfro (Oregon) will be among the authors in attendance at the State of Texas Sports Hall of Fame's first annual book festival July 15 in Waco, Texas.

2011 NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award recipient and recently retired broadcaster Brent Musburger will be honored with a Sports Emmy lifetime achievement award during the annual sports Emmy Awards on May 9 in New York.
Over The Middle
NFF Montana Chapter president and former Humboldt State (Calif.) quarterback Chris Dixon is now the quarterback for the Texas Revolution, a Champions Indoor Football team based in Allen, Texas. He threw for 235 yards and five touchdowns in the Revolution's 96-95 win over the Amarillo Venom this past weekend.

The NFF Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter  held its scholar-athlete banquet yesterday at the Executive Court in Manchester, N.H. The chapter honored College Football Hall of Famer  Joe Dudek (Plymouth State [N.H.]) with the Andy Mooradian Award for Outstanding Contribution to New Hampshire Football.

The NFF Tacoma/Pierce County (Wash.) Chapter will host its 41st annual scholar-athlete banquet May 4 at Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash.

The NFF Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Chapter will hold its Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner May 5 at the Northampton Community Center. The inductees include longtime chapter member Herb Barall, former Syracuse football player Jeffrey Buskirk, former Maryland football player Jason Kremus, longtime high school coach Jim Morgans and former Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa.

The NFF Miss-Lou Chapter will host the Joe Fortunato-Allen Brown Golf Classic May 6 at the Duncan Park Golf Course in Natchez, Miss. The tournament is the primary fundraiser for the chapter's scholarship fund, which annually awards more than $10,000 to local scholar-athletes.

The NFF Minnesota Chapter will host the 10th annual Minnesota Football Awards, presented by the Minnesota Vikings, May 7 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Carter Hanson  (Saint John's [Minn.]) will receive the 2017 Stein-Fallon Scholar-Athlete Award. Other honorees will include former Minnesota House of Representatives member Morrie Lanning (Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award) and CBS Sports broadcaster Brad Nessler (Sid Hartman Media Award). Click here for more info on the Minnesota Football Awards.

The NFF Vermont Chapter scholar-athlete banquet will take place May 7 on the campus of Castleton University.

The NFF Tom Lombardo/St. Louis Chapter will hold its 25th scholar-athlete banquet May 7 at the Sheraton-Westport Hotel in St. Louis.

The NFF Joe Mewhiney/Central Massachusetts Chapter will hold its scholar-athlete brunch May 7 at the Marlborough Marriott in Marlborough, Mass.

The Touchdown Club of Atlanta-NFF Chapter will hold its annual scholarship luncheon May 10 at the Atlanta Tech Village. The chapter will distribute $26,000 in scholarships.
Two-Minute Drill
Scheduling

Ohio State and TCU  will play Sept. 15, 2018, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, instead of a home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019... Ohio State also added a home-and-home series with Washington, moved its home-and-home series with Boston College and added future games with Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Tulsa... TCU and Purdue agreed to a home-and-home series in 2019 and 2029... Army added Colgate to its 2022 schedule... The College Football Playoff management committee voted to move the championship games after the 2024 and 2025 seasons up one week...

Obituaries

Former Michigan football captain George Genyk passed away April 29. He was 78... Former Youngstown State running back Shawn Patton passed away May 2. He was 45...

More News of Interest

FWAA members can begin submitting entries in the 2017 Best Writing Contest... Michigan football season tickets have reached levels not seen in a decade as the season ticket base will climb to 93,000 in 2017... NFF-partner Under Armour was named the official outfitter of Indiana State athletics...
Support The NFF

The 2017 NFF Institutional Academic Membership program is now open. Each year, the NFF invites universities, colleges, conferences and bowl games from across the country to provide support for NFF programs through its Institutional Academic Membership Program. The program allows the NFF to greatly enhance the power of football's collective voice while actively building a stronger national platform for the game with community leaders, educators and the media.

Those that joined this week include Presidential Members Florida State, the MAC, Michigan State, Ohio StateTennessee and the Valero Alamo Bowl; and Executive Members the Dollar General BowlFlorida Atlantic, Ohio, PrincetonSouth Dakota and Stony Brook.

Click here to see all of the 2017 NFF Institutional Academic Members.
Join the NFF
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Donate to the NFF
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2003 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Eli Manning (Mississippi), a member of the Alumni Association.
2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association 

Since 1959, the National Football Foundation has annually recognized the best and brightest college players, presenting them with prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments. The $18,000 postgraduate scholarships are presented at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City. 

Launched in 2008, the NFF Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association provides a powerful vehicle for past honorees to remain in the vanguard of the NFF's present efforts. 

Click here to see all of the members of the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association.
NFF Key Dates
June 1, 2017 - 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Ballots distributed to members of the National Football Foundation - Irving, Texas

Sept. 27, 2017 Announcement of the 2017 semifinalists for The  William V. Campbell Trophy , presented by Fidelity Investments - Via Press Release

Nov. 1, 2017 -   Announcement of the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy finalists, who comprise the 2017 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments - Via Press Release

Dec. 4, 2017  - Ivy League's Asa S. Bushnell Cup Announcement, presented by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, at the New York Hilton Midtown - New  York City
 
Dec. 5, 2017 - NFF Annual Awards Press Conference at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City
 
Dec. 5, 2017 - NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City
 
Dec. 5, 2017 - 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown - New York City, including the induction of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class and the 28th presentation of The William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and prominently displayed at the New York Athletic Club.

Dec. 6, 2017 - Campbell Trophy Luncheon at the New York Athletic Club - New York City
 
Jan. 1, 2018 - The 13th Annual NFF National Hall of Fame Salute during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Atlanta, Ga.

Jan. 8, 2018 - Announcement of the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame Class  during festivities prior to College Football Playoff National Championship - Atlanta, Ga.

Jan. 8, 2018 - College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga. 
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The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.
 
NFF Chalktalk items are welcome and should be sent to news@footballfoundation.com
 
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