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Wisconsin Defensive End Matt Henningsen Named NFF National Scholar-Athlete

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

University of Wisconsin senior defensive end Matt Henningsen has been named a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete, and a finalist for the NFF's William V. Campbell Trophy. This prestigious award is given to college football's premier scholar-athlete, and Henningsen's achievement marks the seventh time a Badger has received this honor. Henningsen plans to use the $18,000 postgraduate scholarship awarded to him as a finalist to pursue research in the future, specifically in the field of machine learning and signal processing.

Key Takeaways:

  • Matt Henningsen, a University of Wisconsin senior defensive end, has been named a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
  • This is the seventh time a Badger has received the NFF National Scholar-Athlete honor, joining Dave Fronek (1966), Tom Stauss (1979), Jim Leonhard (2004), Joe Thomas (2006), Scott Tolzien (2010), and D'Cota Dixon (2018).
  • As a UW team captain, Henningsen maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while earning his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and nearing completion of an accelerated master's degree in electrical and computer engineering.
  • Henningsen plans to use the $18,000 postgraduate scholarship to pursue research in machine learning and signal processing.
  • The Campbell Trophy, awarded to college football's premier scholar-athlete, includes past winners such as Florida's Danny Wuerffel, Tennessee's Peyton Manning, and Florida's Tim Tebow.
  • The University of Wisconsin has never had a Campbell Trophy winner, and the last winner from a Big Ten Conference program was Penn State's John Urschel in 2013.
  • Fronek (1966), Stauss (1979), Leonhard (2004), Thomas (2006), Tolzien (2010), and Dixon (2018) are the other Badgers who received the NFF National Scholar-Athlete award.
  • As a NFF National Scholar-Athlete finalist, Henningsen will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and a winner will be chosen at a dinner in Las Vegas on December 7, receiving a $25,000 scholarship.

Statistics:

  • Wisconsin University senior defensive end Matt Henningsen named NFF National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy finalist.
  • 18 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass defended by Henningsen in 7 games this season.
  • 76 total tackles and 7 sacks in Henningsen's UW career.
  • Henningsen maintained a 4.0 GPA and earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
  • $18,000 postgraduate scholarship awarded to Henningsen as a NFF National Scholar-Athlete finalist.
  • $25,000 scholarship to be awarded to the Campbell Trophy winner on December 7.

Sources:

  • "Wisconsin defensive end Matt Henningsen discusses being a NFF National Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy"
  • MICHAEL CONROY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Wisconsin University Athletics

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