IRVING, Texas – Patrick Laird was named a semifinalist Wednesday for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy® presented by Fidelity Investments®. The semifinalists for the award that recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation were announced by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF).

"These 179 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "For 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy^® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy^® is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.5 million.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates."
Cal's Alex Mack was the recipient of the honor in 2008 while Mike Mohamed was the team's most recent finalist in 2010.

Below are notes on Laird with an extended bio available by clicking on his name.

Patrick Laird, RB, 6-0, 205, Sr., 2L, Arroyo Grande, CA (Mission Prep)

• A 2018 national honors candidate has been selected as a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy and earned a spot on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® in addition to being on the watch list for the Maxwell Award and Wuerffel Trophy, candidate for the Doak Walker Awar Burlsworth Trophy and Senior CLASS Award, and earning second-team preseason All-Pac-12 honors from Athlon and Lindy's as well as being a fourth-team pick of Phil Steele
• Cal's leading rusher and receiver through the first three games of his 2018 senior campaign with 49 rushes for 144 yards and a team-high-tying one touchdown to go along with 14 receptions for 89 yards and a team-high-tying two scoring grabs with his 233 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns also team bests while his 18 points are tied for a team-high
• An honorable mention All-Pac-12, Cal Bear Backers Offensive Team MVP and CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection as well as one of 10 national semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on as a 2017 junior
• Set all of his offensive career highs as a junior when he played in 11 games with eight starts and recorded team highs of 191 rushes, 1127 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground, while adding 45 receptions, 322 yards receiving and one touchdown catch for a team-high 1449 all-purpose yards
• A two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection who picked up first-team honors as a junior after earning second-team recognition in his sophomore campaign, while also adding CoSIDA Academic All-District® recognition as a junior
• Has served as one of Cal's season captains as both a junior and senior