BOZEMAN — From the field to the classroom, Montana State defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV's hard work has been paying off.
He's a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman.
According to the National Football Foundation's press release, a semifinalist must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, must hold at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor and must have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
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Eiden, a team captain, studies accounting and has carried a cumulative 3.5 GPA throughout his college career.
"I’m really honored for it," the Bozeman native said. "I try and take my academics really seriously and try and make sure I’m setting myself up for life after football at some point, and it’s coming faster than I think.
"So just making sure I’m doing everything to the best of my ability. (It’s) just a really great honor, and I’m really grateful for that."
He’s looking to become the third finalist in five years for Montana State. As fellow standout defensive end Brody Grebe and star linebacker and current Atlanta Falcons player Troy Andersen were finalists in 2024 and 2021, respectively.
"I think it just shows what we’re about, and how we take our business seriously, and we do everything to the best of our abilities and try to make sure at the end of the day, how you do anything is how you do everything. So just taking that mindset into everything we do, making sure we’re being as successful as possible," Eiden said.
Montana State coach Brent Vigen emphasized how important it is to perform at a high level both on the field and in the classroom.
"Kenny’s a good student," he said. "He’s got an undergrad degree, he’s going after a graduate degree. You got to be a good player at the same time to warrant this respect, that honor, so he certainly is that as well."
The NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments.
