Oct. 3, 2008

MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis senior offensive lineman Brandon Pearce is the fourth Tiger football player in as many years to be named a semifinalist for the 2008 Draddy Trophy as announced by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF).

"The Draddy Trophy is one of college football's most sought after and competitive awards," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Draddy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership, and we're incredibly proud to select the next winner from this remarkable group of semifinalists."

Pearce joins former Tigers Stephen Gostkowski (2005), Rusty Clayton (2006) and Jake Kasser (2007), who were all named semifinalists for the prestigious academic award in their respective senior seasons. This year's list includes 164 semifinalists in five divisions (NCAA FBS, NCAA FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA). Pearce is one of five players listed from Conference USA.

Pearce graduated in May 2008 with a degree in English literature and is currently working on his master's degree in the same discipline while completing his final year of eligibility. He tallied a 3.53 grade point average as an undergraduate, and has been listed on the U of M Dean's List four semesters. Pearce, who posted a 4.0 GPA last spring, has been listed on the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll all four years and was a second-team selection for the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV team. He has started 39 consecutive games at right tackle and has been part of a Tiger offensive line that has led Conference USA in sack denial the last four years.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship.

"The Draddy semifinalists represent everything good about college football," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "They are another fine example of how football builds leaders, and it is the NFF's duty to promote their accomplishments while encouraging future generations of gridiron standouts to aim high on and off the football field."

The NFF Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2008 National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Draddy winner, who will receive a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship, will be announced at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on December 9 at the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of more than $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening.

The semifinalists from the Football Bowl Subdivision are listed below.

School - Nominee
Air Force - Travis Dekker
Arizona State - Anthony Reyes
Arkansas - Jeremy Davis
Army - Lowell Garthwaite
BYU - Kellen Fowler
California - Alex Mack
Central Michigan - Brian Brunner
Colorado State - Jeff Horinek
Connecticut - Tyler Lorenzen
Florida - James Smith
Fresno State - Tom Brandstater
Georgia - Brian Mimbs
Georgia Tech - Darryl Richard
Houston - Thomas Ebner
Illinois - Ryan McDonald
Indiana - Austin Starr
Iowa - Matt Kroul
Kansas - Mike Rivera
Kentucky - Tim Masthay
Louisiana Tech - Quin Harris
Louisiana-Lafayette - Michael Desormeaux
Maryland - Daniel Gronkowski
Memphis - Brandon Pearce
Miami (Fla.) - Michael Byrne
Mississippi State - Anthony Strauder
Missouri - Chase Daniel
Nebraska - Todd Peterson
Nevada - Andy McIntosh
New Mexico - Zach Arnett
Northern Illinois - Jon Brost
Northwestern - Eric Peterman
Ohio State - Brian Robiskie
Ohio University - Michael Brown
Oklahoma State - Seb Clements
Oregon - Nick Reed
Oregon State - Andrew Levitre
Penn State - Gerald Cadogan
Pittsburgh - Conor Lee
Purdue - Ryan Baker
Rice - David Berken
Rutgers - Jason McCourty
South Carolina - Ryan Succop
Southern California - Jeff Byers
Syracuse - Ryan Durand
Texas - Chris Ogbonnaya
Texas A&M - Stephen McGee
TCU - Shae Reagan
Texas Tech - Graham Harrell
Troy - Will Chambliss
Tulsa - David Jo Johnson
UCF - Sha'reff Rashad
UCLA - Logan Paulsen
Utah - Louie Sakoda
Washington State - Vaughn Lesuma
West Virginia - Reed Williams
Western Michigan - Dustin Duclo
Wisconsin - Chris Pressley