Parsippany Hills Graduate Semifinalist For Student-Athlete Award

PARSIPPANY, NJ—Parsippany Hills High School graduate and current Rutgers long-snapper Billy Taylor was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's top football student-athlete.

Taylor, who graduated from Parsippany Hills in 2017, was one of 199 semifinalists named by the National Football Foundation on Thursday. The Campbell Award recognizes an individual as the best football student-athlete in the nation based on combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

The Rutgers junior has already landed honors for academics. Taylor was named a 2020 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, 2019 Academic All-Big Ten, 2019 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and a 2018 Academic All-Big Ten.

Taylor will have to wait until November to find out if he is one of 12 and 14 finalists, each of whom will receive an $18,000 scholarship. Later this year, one athlete will be announced as the winner, and his scholarship will increase to $25,000. The winner also receives his own 25-pound-bronze version of the statue.

According to a NFF announcement, participants are nominated by their colleges, which are limited to one nominee each. Candidates must be a senior or grad student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2, show outstanding football ability as a significant contributor, and demonstrate 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.