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Although Vanderbilt University has been playing college football since 1890, it had never won one of the sport's top-end national individual awards until Tuesday night, when tight end Eli Stowers was presented the William V. Campbell Trophy at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
The Campbell Trophy is considered the academic Heisman Trophy. He's the 36th recipient overall, 10th from the Southeastern Conference, and first from Vanderbilt.
Previously, the biggest national single-season award in Commodores history was Diego Pavia named 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner last week. While that honor is certainly prestigious, and the first major national position award won by a Vanderbilt player, only upperclassman quarterbacks are eligible for consideration.
Otherwise, all of Vanderbilt's other top honors over the years were either career-based (including College Football Hall of Fame), consensus All-Americans or at the conference level. For example, Vanderbilt's best showing for the Heisman Trophy was center Carl Hinkle, who placed seventh in the voting 1937 (and was also named the SEC's Most Valuable Player), although that's about to change as Pavia is one of four finalists this year. The quarterback is also a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Manning Award.
The Campbell, came with a big trophy, 24 inches tall and 25 pounds, to go with a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
"It's such an honor just to be able to experience this and to be in the presence of the people up on this stage," Stowers said. "Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to experience this. It's a once in a lifetime moment. … My dad was a player and a coach at one point. … Ever since I was born, I was around the game. So, thank you so much for that, dad. Thank you mom, for continuing to support me. Both of y'all continue to teach me and work hard at pride in everything I do, "
• A senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility
• Have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale
• Have outstanding football ability as a first team player
• Have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
Stowers leads all tight ends nationally in receiving yards with a team-high 769. His 62 catches are second, and he scored four touchdowns during the regular season. He's also a finalist for the John Mackey Award for most outstanding tight end, is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
He received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State in 2024, posting a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average, and completed his master’s degree in finance from Vanderbilt in the spring. This fall, he was pursuing a master’s of legal studies degree.
He's Vanderbilt's fifth NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining Wade Butcher (1961), Douglas Martin (1974), Andrew McCarroll (1989) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (2002).
“Eli Stowers has distinguished himself as one of the nation’s top tight ends, and his commitment to excellence extends well beyond the field,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said in a release. "He has performed at the highest levels in the classroom while serving as a tremendous ambassador for our sport. Eli embodies everything the Campbell Trophy stands for, and everything that is right about college football. We are proud to welcome him into this elite fraternity of recipients.”
3.92 GPA – Individual Studies
Head Coach: Clark Lea | Athletics Director: Candice Storey Lee
Faculty Athletics Representative: Tracey George
National Football League Scholar-Athlete Award
A gifted athlete and natural leader, Eli Stowers has emerged as one of the nation's top tight ends while exemplifying the ideal student-athlete. The Denton, Texas, native becomes the fourth NFF National Scholar-Athlete from Vanderbilt and the first since 2002.
Stowers graduated from New Mexico State in May 2024 as a Crimson Scholar (3.92 GPA) before earning his master's degree in finance from Vanderbilt in May 2025. He is continuing postgraduate studies in legal studies and has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List three times.
A 2025 team captain and three-year letterman with stops at Texas A&M and New Mexico State, Stowers earned First Team All-SEC and Phil Steele Third Team All-America honors in 2024. Last season, he led the Commodores to their first winning season (7-6) and first bowl victory since 2013 with a Birmingham Bowl win. His play fueled Vanderbilt's first-ever win over a No. 1 team (Alabama) and first victory over Alabama since 1984. The Dores also notched their first road win at Auburn and first wins over both Alabama and Auburn in the same season since 1955. At New Mexico State, he guided the Aggies to a 10-3 regular season and a berth in the CUSA Championship Game.
During the 2025 regular season, Stowers toppled the Commodores with 62 receptions for 769 yards. He has four touchdowns as Vanderbilt was one of the teams strongly considered for the College Football Playoff. At 10-2, Vanderbilt is already achieved the first 10-win season in program history, and the No. 9 ranking on Oct. 26 was the school's highest ranking since 1937.
Last season, he recorded 49 receptions for 638 yards and 5 touchdowns, ranking among the most productive seasons by a Vanderbilt tight end in nearly three decades. During the 2023 season at New Mexico State, he recorded 35 catches for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also, playing quarterback during his career, he completed five passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Stowers has played an active role in Brother B's, an on-campus ministry; volunteered at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital; participated in Social Impact Day with the Pencil Foundation and Metro Nashville Public Schools; visited veterans' hospitals; and supported causes like the Dancing Dores fundraiser and the SAAC Holiday Party.
SEE ALSO: Vanderbilt Football Duo Gets All-SEC Honors
Year Player, School
2025 Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
2024 Jalen Milroe, Alabama
2023 Bo Nix, Oregon
2022 Jack Campbell, Iowa
2021 Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
2020 Brady White, Memphis
2019 Justin Herbert, Oregon
2018 Christian Wilkins, Clemson
2017 Micah Kiser, Virginia
2016 Zach Terrell, W Michigan
2015 Ty Darlington, Oklahoma
2014 David Helton, Duke
2013 John Urschel, Penn State
2012 Barrett Jones, Alabama
2011 Andrew Rodriguez, Army
2010 Sam Acho, Texas
2009 Tim Tebow, Florida
2008 Alex Mack, California
2007 Dallas Griffin, Texas
2006 Brian Leonard, Rutgers
2005 Rudy Niswanger, LSU
2004 Michael Munoz, Tennessee
2003 Craig Krenzel, Ohio State
2002 Brandon Roberts, Washington (St. Louis)
2002 Brandon Roberts, Washington (St. Louis)
2001 Joaquin Gonzalez, Miami
2000 Kyle Vanden Bosch, Nebraska
1999 Chad Pennington, Marshall
1998 Matt Stinchcomb, Georgia
1997 Peyton Manning, Tennessee
1996 Danny Wuerffel , Florida
1995 Bobby Hoying, Ohio State
1994 Rob Zatechka, Nebraska
1993 Thomas Burns, Virginia
1992 Jim Hansen, Colorado
1991 Brad Culpepper, Florida
1990 Chris Howard, Air Force
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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