MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior quarterback Adrian Martinez picked up one of the most prestigious honors in major college football on Wednesday as he was selected as a member of the 2022 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Class and is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
Martinez is one of 15 finalists – including one of seven FBS players and the lone Big 12 representative – that were trimmed from a list of 156 semifinalists. The 15 finalists are now in contention for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Martinez, a product of Fresno, California, is the eighth Wildcat all-time to be named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete and finalist for the Campbell Trophy, including the fifth in the last 12 years. Previously honored during the 12-year stretch are Tysyn Hartman (2011), Tyler Lockett (2014), Dalton Risner (2018) and Adam Holtorf (2019).
With the inclusion by Martinez, K-State has the most NFF National Scholar-Athletes in the country since 2011, topping Duke and Stanford with four apiece.
By being named an NFF Scholar-Athlete, Martinez will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
“We are extremely proud to announce the finalists for this year’s Campbell Trophy,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy recipient) and Eli were NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. “These young men have an unrelenting commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives, and they represent all that is right in college football. As strong leaders in the vein of the trophy’s namesake Bill Campbell, they all serve as living examples that the Future For Football is bright. We are excited to honor their hard work and outstanding leadership with postgraduate scholarships.”
Martinez earned his undergraduate degree in management with a minor in economics in May 2021 from the University of Nebraska. He carried a 3.549 GPA during his time as an undergraduate, and he is currently working on his MBA at K-State. He was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten performer and a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient in 2020. Additionally, Martinez was a finalist for the 2021 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year award in 2021.
Through seven games this season, Martinez ranks first nationally among quarterbacks with nine rushing touchdowns, while he is second in the nation among quarterbacks in scoring (7.7 points per game) and rushing yards (80.7 yards per game), and third among signal callers in rushing yards per carry (6.14).
He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after accumulating 148 rushing yards and four touchdowns during K-State’s 41-34 victory at then-No. 6 Oklahoma, and he backed that up with a career-high 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech to earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors. He became the third Power 5 quarterback in the last 15 years to accumulate 300 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in a two-game stretch, joining Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (2016) and Auburn’s Cam Newton (2010).
Martinez came to K-State after rewriting the Nebraska record books, owning a combined 17 career, season and single-game records.
K-State returns to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time in nearly a month as the 22nd-ranked Wildcats host No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday in a 2:30 p.m. contest that will be televised by FOX. Kansas State then hosts Texas on November 5, and, following two road games, concludes the regular season at home on November 26 against Kansas.
Standing-room only tickets for the final three home games can be purchased online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets or by phone at 1-800-221-CATS.
