NFF National Scholar-Athletes
Kinesiology – 3.99 GPA
Head Coach: Rod Carey | Athletics Director: Sean Frazier
Faculty Athletics Representative: Mark Groza
With a near perfect 3.99 GPA, Max Scharping has been equally impressive athletically as academically. As a two-time First Team All-MAC selection, the Green Bay, Wisconsin, native becomes Northern Illinois’s fifth NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
Scharping graduated in May 2017 with a degree in kinesiology, and he is scheduled to graduate in December with his master's degree in exercise physiology and fitness leadership. A 2017 Second Team Academic All-American, he is also a three-time First Team Academic All-District selection, a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree and a three-time MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete.
This season, Scharping has anchored an NIU offense averaging 323.1 yards per game while serving as a game captain on multiple occasions. He has helped the Huskies (7-4, 6-1 MAC) clinch the MAC West Division Championship and become bowl eligible for the 10th time in the last 11 years.
Scharping earned MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week recognition for his efforts in NIU’s 24-21 win over Ohio in October. In the game, Scharping helped the Huskies amass a season-high 255 rushing yards and 400 yards of total offense against the Bobcats, and he caught a lateral to convert the two-point conversion that followed NIU’s go-ahead touchdown.
A two-time First Team All-MAC selection, Scharping was an Honorable Mention Sophomore All-American in 2016 and a Freshman All-American in 2015. Having started every game of his collegiate career, he entered the 2018 season having not allowed a sack since the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl. Scharping paved the way for an offense that averaged 377.8 yards per game last season after leading a unit that ranked 27th nationally in total offense in 2016. He led NIU to a 2015 MAC West Division title and appearances in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl and the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl.
A 2018 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist, Scharping is heavily involved within the community, averaging more than 19 hours of service each season. He volunteers with the local YMCA; participates in Healthy Kids Day; hosts a football camp and tournament; and participates in reading programs at various elementary schools and daycares. Scharping visits hospitals in DeKalb and Chicago and helped with clean-up efforts after tornadoes hit local cities.
