Rutgers Football: 21 Players Honored by NFF Hampshire Honor Society
21 Rutgers football players recognized for athletic and academic feat.
PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 31: Rutgers Scarlet Knights offensive lineman Bryan Felter (65) warms up prior to the College Football Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Indiana Hoosiers on October 31, 2020 at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon College Football ) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 21 Rutgers football players have been accepted into the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society which is the National Football Foundation’s signature initiative dedicated to advancing and acknowledging both academic and athletic achievement across college football. Rutgers had the most players accepted into the society this year among all schools in the FBS.
According to a press release by the foundation, NFF Hampshire Honor Society members must be nominated by their respective schools, be a senior in his final year of eligibility or a graduated player who has already earned a bachelor’s degree, earn a minimum 3. 2 GPA and have been a starter or contributor to the football team. The 21 Rutgers football players to be honored are DJ Allen, Oliver Billotte, Justin Cesaire, Dariel Djabome, Sammy El Hadidi, Bryan Felter, Keshon Griffin, Henry Hughes Jr.
, Chris Joines, Sebastian Jusma, Cam Miller, Tyler Needham, Michael O’Connor, Eric O’Neill, Jai Patel, Terrence Salami, Jordan Thompson, Bradley Weaver, Colin Weber, Zilan Williams, and Gus Zilinskas. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society has recognized 23,568 student-athletes from 691 schools since 2007. The 2026 class, which includes a record 2,596 players from 365 schools, represents the largest group in the program’s history and underscores the sustained academic achievement taking place across all levels of college football.
The society was originally created because former Minnesota head coach Glen Mason called the National Football Foundation because he wanted to honor his entire offensive line for their academic and athletic achievements, rather than just one person. At the time, all of coach Mason’s offensive lineman were maintaing around a 3. 2 GPA, which became one of the benchmarks for entry into the society.