Seven Griz named to NFF’s Hampshire Honors Society

Seven Griz named to NFF’s Hampshire Honors Society

4/13/2023 4:44:00 PM | Football

Complete Class of 2023

By: Montana Sports Information

A week after posting a Big Sky-best 43 academic all-conference selections, the Montana Grizzlies have once again been honored for their work in the classroom over the last academic year.

On Wednesday, the Griz continued their legacy of placing the team's highest achieving student-athletes into the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honors Society, with seven former players joining the class of 2023, the NFF announced Wednesday.

Outgoing seniors Eli Alford, Jayden Dawson, Robby Hauck, Patrick O'Connell, Mitch Roberts, Deari Todd, and Marcus Welnel were welcomed into the Society, which recognizes players from all divisions of college football who maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA throughout their careers while excelling on the field of play.

Montana has now placed 43 former student-athletes into the Society since its inception in 2007, with a total of 1,734 players from 328 schools qualifying for membership in 2023, the second-most honorees in program history. Now in its 17th year, the Society has now honored a total of 16,370 student-athletes.

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 2022; 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 significant contributors throughout the 2022 season.

Alford made 51 appearances as a five-year letterman on the Grizzly defensive line, totaling 56 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in his career. The nose guard also put the exclamation point on Montana's 2019 playoff win over Southeastern Louisiana with a safety in the fourth quarter. He's also a four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and maintained a 3.68 cumulative GPA. He'll receive his master's in business administration in the spring.

Dawson was an All-Big Sky selection as a junior at Idaho State, Dawson transferred to Montana for his senior season and led the team in pass breakups with eight on the year and had one interception. As a junior, he was second in the conference in passes defended behind Justin Ford with 13 breakups and posted two interceptions. Also totaled 36 tackles as a senior with one TFL. He received a degree in management and entrepreneurship while maintaining a 3.77 cumulative GPA.

Hauck finished his career as Montana's all-time leading tackler with 482 stops in 53 games, having started every contest over the last five years at UM. With 118 stops as a senior, he posted 115-plus tackles in three different seasons, including a career-high 129 in 2019. His career total of 482 beats EWU's Ronnie Hamlin's previous Big Sky record of 473 and places him among the top six tacklers of all time in the FCS ranks. He's a two-time All-American on the field and is one of just six three-time Academic All-Americans in Grizzly history. He received an MBA from the UM College of Business and graduated with a 3.91 cumulative GPA.

O'Connell was named to multiple All-American teams at UM, was a two-time first-team All-Big Sky pick, team captain, and a third-place finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award in his illustrious career. He ranked sixth all-time among career leaders in both sacks and TFLs with 28.5 sacks and 45 TFLs at Montana. He also departed UM as one of the top 40 tacklers in program history with 242 stops to his name. He earned an MBA while maintaining a 3.64 cumulative GPA and was a two-time Academic All-Big Sky pick.

Roberts was a team captain as a senior and a two-time All-Big Sky honorable mention at wide receiver. The Missoula native was named the team's Offensive MVP as a senior and is a two-time winner of the Terry Dillon Award for outstanding back or receiver. He finished his career with 52 appearances and caught 148 passes for 1736 yards and seven touchdowns. He received his MBA from the UM College of Business and maintained a 3.85 GPA during his time at UM.

Todd was a two-time Academic All-Big Sky pick since arriving at UM from Michigan State in 2021, where he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection as well. He posted 27 tackles on the D-line for the Griz in two seasons with 4.5 TFLs and two sacks. He graduated from Montana with a 3.58 cumulative GPA and a master's in business administration.

Welnel was a four-time Academic All-Big Sky pick who finished his career among UM's top 40 all-time tacklers with 240 stops at linebacker. He was also one of Montana's top-fifteen all-time leaders in sacks (16) and tackles for loss (32.5) and was second in the Big Sky in TFLs his senior year during the regular season with 11.5 to earn an all-conference honorable mention. He also earned all-conference accolades as a junior. He maintained a 3.65 cumulative GPA and received two master's degrees, one in business administration and one in accounting.