National Football Foundation

Arguably one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Michigan State history, Kirk Cousins is a cornerstone of Mark Dantonio's football program. Cousins becomes the fifth NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Michigan State history, and the first since Steven Wasylk earned the honor in 1993.

Cousins, a Holland, Mich., native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He has qualified for the Dean's List or the President's List every semester of his college career.

Just the second three-time captain in the history of Spartan football, Cousins vaulted himself into Spartan lore on October 15 when he directed the Spartans to a 28-14 victory over Michigan, becoming the first Michigan State signal caller to defeat their intrastate rivals three times in a career. With his effort to beat No. 6 Wisconsin last weekend, capped by a 44-yard scoring heave as time expired, he became the winningest quarterback in school history. As of Oct. 22 in the 2011 season, Cousins had connected on 136-of-204 passes (averaging a Big Ten-best 19.4 completions per game) for 1,607 with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. Last season, he led the Spartans to an 11-2 record, No. 14 national ranking in both polls and a share of the Big Ten title. In 2011, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalist has guided the 11th-ranked Spartans to a 6-1 record and first-place standing in the Big Ten's Legends Division. An Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in 2010, Cousins completed 226-of-338 passes (66.9 completion percentage) for 2,825 yards for 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions (a 150.7 passing efficiency rating), all of which ranks among the top six single-season marks in school history. For his career, Cousins is 592-of-913 passing for 7,422 yards with 52 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Cousins was chosen among all Big Ten players to give the annual players' address at the conference's football media days, which became a YouTube sensation with over 140,000 views. A participant in the Spartan Buddies program, Cousins volunteers in the pediatric ward at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing and is active in Athletes in Action sports ministry. He has participated in numerous reading initiatives and was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in 2010. Cousins received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and Michigan State's Clarence J. Underwood, Jr. Sportsmanship Award in 2010. He was selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings.