MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho senior linebacker Ed Hall is a semifinalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation announced Wednesday. The award is given to “the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.” Hall is one of 179 semifinalists spanning all divisions of the NCAA, as well as the NAIA.

The list will be trimmed to 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, with each receiving an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and earning a spot on the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. Finalists will travel to New York City for the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, where one member of the class will be named the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Hall is one of 40 semifinalists from the Football Championship Subdivision and one of three from the Big Sky Conference. Idaho has never had a NFF National Scholar-Athlete. The program began in 1959.

A mechanical engineering major, Hall boasts a 3.83 grade-point average.

The former walk-on led the Vandals with three interceptions last season and was named honorable mention All-Sun Belt. Through three games this season, Hall is Idaho’s leading tackler.