IRVING, Texas (Sept. 24) – California (PA) senior defensive back
Rafiqe Hilliard was named a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy® on Wednesday morning.
The Campbell Trophy®, which is presented by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF), recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Hilliard is one of only 15 players from NCAA Division II, including just two from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), and a 177 collegiate players across all NCAA and NAIA level to be chosen a semifinalist for the award.
The NFF will select between 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22 and the finalists will each receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship while being recognized as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 when one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy® and have their post-graduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
In order to be considered for the Campbell Trophy®, nominees must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility and carry a minimum of a 3.20 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. In addition, the NFF Awards Committee names only those who are significant contributors to their team and those who have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
Hilliard is finalizing a bachelor's degree from PennWest this fall in art studio, plus an associate's degree in digital media technology, while boasting a 3.80 cumulative GPA. He received College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors in both 2022 and 2024. Additionally, Hilliard has received the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award in each of the last four years, plus has earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete status five times.
A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Hilliard has appeared in 41 career games over six years. His true freshman season of 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he later obtained a medical redshirt after being limited to four games in 2023. Hilliard set a career high with 25 tackles last fall and registered a pivotal interception in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs versus Ashland. Earlier this month, the 6-foot-0 defensive back made his third career interception in a Week 1 victory against then-No. 12 Charleston (WV).
The Vulcans have featured a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy® eight times in the last decade.
