National Football Foundation

A perfect 4.0 grade point average student, a team captain and an active volunteer, Illinois College's Jake Weller possesses all the key ingredients for success on and off the college gridiron. 

A Biology and Chemistry major, Weller earned the American Chemistry Society's POLYED Organic Chemistry Award and was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. A Rammelkamp Honors Scholar, he received "Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges" laurels and garnered the Ruth L. Fosnaugh Award for foreign language excellence. He is also a two-time Academic All-Midwest Conference performer. 

The two-year captain and Jacksonville, Ill. native holds the Illinois College record for the longest interception return for a touchdown (99 yards) and was tabbed team defensive MVP in 2006. Named Midwest Conference Defensive Performer of the Week this season, he has recorded 40.5 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions in 2007 for the Blueboys. 

Weller serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and as treasurer of the Beta Beta Beta Academic Honor Society. He volunteered at Camp Care A Lot and the Special Olympics and was a member of the Students Crossing Borders fundraising committee. He is also an usher at Trinity Episcopal Church. 

Jake Weller is the first NFF National Scholar-Athlete in Illinois College history. He earned his M.D. from Rush Medical College (Ill.) and is currently an orthopedic resident at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.