NFF National Scholar-Athletes
Engineering Technology – 3.82 GPA
Head Coach: Broderick Fobbs | Athletics Director: Paul Bryant
Faculty Athletics Representative: Bobby Burkes
De’Arius Christmas personifies the scholar-athlete ideal, working toward an engineering degree while being one of Grambling State's leading tacklers. The Vicksburg, Mississippi, native deservedly becomes the Tigers’ second NFF National Scholar-Athlete, and their first since 1972.
Boasting a 3.82 GPA as an engineering technology major, Christmas is on pace to graduate in May 2019 and aspires to work at his hometown’s research and development laboratory. The SWAC All-Academic Team selection was named the 2017 Grambling State Student-Athlete of the Year across all sports. His other academic accolades include the Athletics Director’s Academic Honor Roll, the President’s List and the Dean’s List.
Christmas is one of the Tigers' leading tacklers this season, posting 51 stops in 2018, and he is tied for the team lead with 10 tackles for loss. He has twice been named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week this season, including his performance against Alabama State where he returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown. Christmas’s other weekly honor came when he led Grambling State with eight tackles while recording two sacks and an interception in a win over Texas Southern. He was announced as one of 25 finalists for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award as the FCS Defensive Player of the Year.
A two-year team captain, Christmas led Grambling State with 88 tackles in 2017 en route to earning Third Team All-America status. The 2017 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year also garnered first team all-conference recognition while guiding the Tigers to consecutive 11-win seasons and SWAC titles. Christmas led Grambling State to a victory in the 2016 Celebration Bowl, which denotes the HBCU national champion, and he guided the Tigers to an appearance in the 2017 edition.
A three-year volunteer with the Special Olympics, Christmas has participated in events with the Vicksburg Packers, including giving a speech for the city’s leadership team. A transfer from East Mississippi Community College, he was featured on the first season of the Netflix docuseries “Last Chance U.”
