DALLAS, Dec. 21, 2010 - Defining excellence in all aspects of their lives, the 2010 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class continued to collect accolades in recent days with seven members earning spots on All-America teams while eight of the standouts begin bowl game preparations.

"The 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class is perhaps the best in the 52 year history of the program," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "We are excited to watch them play in the upcoming bowl games, and they deserve extra special recognition for their actions as both athletic and academic All-Americans. Whether it is on the gridiron or later in life, we know that they have only begun to build their list of life-long accomplishments."

The NFF National Scholar-Athletes appearing on 2010 athletic All-American teams include Texas DE Sam Acho (who claimed the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth), Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo, Stanford FB/LB Owen Marecic, Alabama QB Greg McElroy, Colorado OT Nate Solder (who earned First Team Consensus All-America honors), Mississippi State OT Derek Sherrod, and Penn State OG Stefen Wisniewski.

Eight of the 16 NFF National Scholar-Athletes will appear in bowl games with Notre Dame OG Chris Stewart, Florida State QB Christian Ponder and Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien joining Castonzo, Marecic, McElroy, Sherrod, and Wisniewski in post-season play.

2010 NFF National Scholar-Athletes in Bowl Games

• Chris Stewart (Notre Dame) - Sun Bowl vs. Miami (Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET, CBS)


• Christian Ponder (Florida State) - Chick-fil-A Bowl vs. South Carolina (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)


• Greg McElroy (Alabama) - Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State (Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN)


• Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State) - Outback Bowl vs. Florida (Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)


• Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State) - Gator Bowl vs. Michigan (Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)


• Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin) - Rose Bowl vs. TCU (Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN)


• Owen Marecic (Stanford) - Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech (Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)


• Anthony Castonzo (Boston College) - Fight Hunger Bowl vs. Nevada (Jan. 9, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

NFF National Scholar-Athletes on 2010 All-American Teams
Note: The five All-America teams used by the NCAA for compiling their consensus All-American chart are listed first for each player. Subsequent teams are listed in alphabetical order with first teams preceding second teams, etc. The five teams recognized by the NCAA are the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation teams.

• Sam Acho: Walter Camp Second Team, AP Third Team, Rivals.com Third Team, CollegeFootballNews.com Honorable Mention, and SI.com Honorable Mention.


• Anthony Castonzo: Walter Camp Second Team, AP Third Team, CollegeFootballNews.com First Team, Pro Football Weekly First Team, Scout.com First Team, and SI.com Second Team.


• Owen Marecic: AFCA First Team and Pro Football Weekly First Team.


• Greg McElroy: SI.com Honorable Mention.


• Derek Sherrod: AP Second Team, Walter Camp Second Team, CBSSports.com First Team, CollegeFootballNews.com First Team, Rivals.com First Team, SI.com Second Team, and Scout.com Second Team.


• Nate Solder: AP First Team, FWAA First Team, Walter Camp First Team, Sporting News First Team, SI.com First Team, Pro Football Weekly First Team, CollegeFootballNews.com Second Team, and Rivals.com Second Team.


• Stefen Wisniewski: AFCA First Team, AP Second Team, Walter Camp Second Team, Scout.com First Team, CBSSports.com Second Team, Rivals.com Second Team, SI.com Honorable Mention, and Pro Football Weekly Honorable Mention.

NFF National Scholar-Athletes NFL Draft Prospects
At least six members of the 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class are likely to play in the NFL next year, appearing on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board:

• Nate Solder - No. 17 overall, No. 1 senior offensive tackle


• Anthony Castonzo - No. 18 overall, No. 2 senior offensive tackle


• Derek Sherrod - No. 20 overall, No. 3 senior offensive tackle


• Christian Ponder - No. 4 senior quarterback


• Owen Marecic - No. 1 senior fullback


• Stefen Wisniewski - No. 2 senior center

The 16 NFF National Scholar-Athletes boast a composite 3.65 grade point average, and 14 of the 16 finalists served as their team captains in 2010. Other class accolades include seven All-Americans, 13 All-Conference picks, 15 Academic All-Conference honorees; and five members participating in overseas relief and mission trips. In 2010, 14 of the 16 made an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American District team with seven named to the first or second team, including Greg McElroy (Alabama) and Isaac Odim (Minnesota Duluth) who were both named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans of the Year for the university and college divisions respectively.

Listed in alphabetical order, here is a brief recap of their 2010 seasons:

Sam Acho (Texas, 3.55 GPA in Business) - In addition to bringing home the Campbell Trophy, Acho also won the Wuerffel Trophy and the ARA Sportsmanship Award. He was also a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He posted 59 tackles and led the club with 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 17 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He was also a First Team All-Big 12 selection, an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team member and a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-America honoree.

Anthony Castonzo (Boston College, 3.45 GPA in Biochemistry) - Castonzo helped push the Eagles to 1,599 rushing yards and 2,104 passing yards. The First Team All-ACC performer also helped Boston College achieve a five-game winning streak to close the regular season. Castonzo was also a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District pick.

Ben Chappell (Indiana, 3.70 GPA in Accounting) - With 3,295 passing yards and 24 touchdowns on 302 of 483 passing, Chappell arguably the most illustrious career for a quarterback in Hoosier football history. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection ranks among the top two in every major career passing category, and is the only player in Indiana history to toss 50 touchdown passes. He was also a member of the AFCA Good Works Team.

Alex Gross (Columbia, 3.58 GPA in Sociology) - A two-time All-Ivy League honoree, Gross recorded 124 tackles to lead the Ivy League and finish fourth among all FCS defenders. He recorded 330 career tackles, making him one of the most accomplished tacklers in Columbia football history. He was also a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District honoree.

Owen Marecic (Stanford, 3.47 GPA in Human Biology) - A finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player, Marecic was a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American and finished 10th in the Heisman voting. He rushed 20 times for 42 yards and four touchdowns, caught nine passes for 75 yards and compiled 45 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was one of just four Pac-10 players to be named to the All-Pac-10 and Academic All-Pac-10 first teams.

Greg McElroy (Alabama, 3.83 GPA in Business Marketing) - A Rhodes Scholar nominee, he was named the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American of the Year for the University Division. He was also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Wuerffel Trophy. He finished the regular season as the nation's sixth-most efficient passer, tossing 19 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Mike Mohamed (California, 3.43 GPA in Business) - Named the Pac-10 Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in football, Mohamed earned back-to-back First Team All-Pac-10 honors. He again led the Bears with 95 tackles and recorded five tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception and two forced fumbles.

Travis Nissley (Bucknell, 3.96 GPA in Mechanical Engineering) - A two-time Patriot League Student-Athlete of the Year, Nissley earned Second Team CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American honors as a senior. He led the Bison with 63 tackles and also registered 2.5 tackles for loss, one pass break-up and one pass defended.

Isaac Odim (Minnesota Duluth, 3.85 GPA in Mechanical Engineering) - Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in October, he was named the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American of the Year for the College Division. In all, he totaled 17 touchdowns and 796 rushing yards on 106 carries, which placed him fifth in rushing and first in scoring at the time. He holds virtually every single-game, single-season and career rushing record in school history. He was a member of the Division II national champions as a sophomore in 2008, and his team went onto to win the 2010 national championship this past weekend.

Christian Ponder (Florida State, 3.73 GPA in Finance) - Ponder guided the Seminoles to their first ACC Atlantic Division championship since 2005 while completing 183 of 294 passes for 2,038 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also added four rushing touchdowns and 177 rushing yards. He was named the winner of the Jim Tatum Award as the top student-athlete in the ACC, and was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Ponder played his senior season while working towards his second master's degree after earning his undergraduate degree in just two and a half years.

Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State, 3.54 GPA in Business) - A First Team All-SEC selection, Sherrod helped the Bulldogs to their first New Year's Day bowl game since 1999. He helped push Mississippi State attain 215.75 rushing yards per game, which ranks 16th nationally and second in the SEC. As a junior, he also earned All-SEC honors while Mississippi State led the conference in rushing.

Nate Solder (Colorado, 3.51 GPA in Biology) - Solder was a finalist for the Outland Trophy as the nation's best offensive lineman, and won the title as the Big 12's Offensive Lineman of the Year. The First Team All-Big 12 selection was named Colorado's Most Valuable Player for the 2010 season. He helped the Buffaloes achieve 1,644 rushing yards and 2,672 passing yards.

Chris Stewart (Notre Dame, 3.54 GPA in History) - Believed to be the only player in the illustrious history of Notre Dame football to tackle the gridiron and law school at the same time. A CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American, he helped the Fighting Irish rush for 1,450 yards and pass for 3,089 yards. Notre Dame closed the regular season with three consecutive wins, including their first over archrival USC since 2001, and victory in six of their final eight contests.

Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin, 3.50 GPA in Consumer Affairs) - The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, Tolzien completed 182 of 245 passes for 2,300 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 169.80 quarterback rating placed him fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten. He guided Wisconsin to an 11-1 regular-season, achieving the Badgers' first Big Ten title since 1999, and helped the club top 70 points three times and top 30 points nine times. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree.

Ben Wartman (Saint Thomas -Minn., 3.89 GPA in Finance) - A CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American, he rushed 172 times for 938 yards and 13 touchdowns and also tossed one touchdown pass in 2010. Wartman helped the Tommies achieve a 12-1 mark and a trip to the Division III quarterfinals. He was also a First Team All-American as a junior.

Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State, 3.91 GPA in Secondary Education) - A First Team All-Big Ten pick, he became Penn State's first three-time CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American this season. He helped drive the Nittany Lions to 1,714 rushing yards and 2,775 passing yards this season. A member of the Big Ten Champions in 2008, Wisniewski helped Penn State appear in New Year's Day bowl game in his final three seasons in Happy Valley. He was also a Wuerffel Trophy finalist and a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works team.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history provide postgraduate scholarships based on both the academic and athletic accomplishments of a student-athlete. The program has awarded $9.5 million to 740 top athletes since its inception. In 1990, the NFF began bestowing the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, to the top scholar-athlete in class, naming him as the absolute best in the nation. The award is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal.?