IRVING, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' had 12 players named to the 2025 National Football Foundation's 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.
A record 2,532 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2025, marking the largest class in the program's 19-year history. Since its inception, the initiative has honored 20,946 student-athletes.
HSU's honorees included:
Corbyn Cornell,
Mason Cravens,
Tailon Garrett,
Cason Hanna,
Braden Hargrove,
Brian Hargrove,
Hayden Hays,
Charlie Patterson,
Jak Poe,
Braden St. Ama and
Blake Wilson.
"In today's era of NIL and the transfer portal, we firmly believe that education remains the key to long-term success," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "These results reaffirm that academics are still top of mind for today's student-athletes. We salute the schools, coaches, and administrators who continue to champion education as a core part of the student-athlete experience. We'll keep doing everything we can to promote those academic ideals and ensure education stays central to the holistic development of every student-athlete."
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 2024; 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 2024 season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
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.
"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."
"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
