IRVING, Texas -- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the list of a record number of members of the 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. An elite group of 1,988 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2024, setting a record for the number of members in a single year during the program's 18-year history.

Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either: A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2023; or a graduated player, who has been out of high school at least (3) years; And must have: Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and been starters or contributors throughout the 2023 season.
 
Benedict College had 11 on the Honor Society List, one of three teams in Division II with at least 10 members, joining Bently (Mass.) and Colorado School of Mines, which both had 12 members. Benedict was the only Division II HBCU with players named to the Honor Society, and one of three HBCUs in the nation. Alcorn State and North Carolina each had one player selected.
 
Included in Benedict's 11 members is Loobert Denelus, who was a member of 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.
 
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
 
"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 18 years," said Hanson. "Nationwide there are thousands of football players excelling in the classroom, and they are going on to become great leaders."
 
"We have honored more than 18,000 student-athletes since 2007 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."

Benedict College National Football Foundation Honor Society List
 
Benedict College (SC) R'keavius Barnes
Benedict College (SC) Steven Campbell
Benedict College (SC) Marcus Davis
Benedict College (SC) Loobert Denelus*
Benedict College (SC) Aeneas Dennis
Benedict College (SC) Ja'Ron Kilpatrick
Benedict College (SC) Marcelous Livingston
Benedict College (SC) Tom Piccrillo
Benedict College (SC) Mitchell Romig
Benedict College (SC) Zyricq Rufus
Benedict College (SC) Nigel Summerville

Complete release and complete list here