Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser has been named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Finalists for the award will also be recognized as members of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. Notre Dame’s JD Bertrand was named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy in 2023.
Kiser has already been named to the 2024 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team and a semifinalist for the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy.
One of the most tenured players on Notre Dame’s roster and a team captain, Kiser is in his sixth season playing for the Irish and leads a linebacker room poised for flexibility. A Butkus Award Watch List honoree, Kiser owns 207 career tackles.
Kiser was Notre Dame’s 2023 Special Teams Player of the Year. Last season, he played in all 13 games, making three starts as a consistent contributor on special teams as well as consistent playing time at linebacker. Kiser finished third on the team with 62 tackles, and tied for the team-lead with 41 solo tackles. He added 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception, also recording a pass breakup and three quarterback hurries, and forced a fumble.
Owning two Notre Dame degrees, Kiser is a force in the classroom. Following the 2023 football season, Kiser was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, recognizing his academic success paired with his athletic accomplishments. He was also named to the 2024 National Football Foundation Honor Society. Graduating in 2022, he continued his pursuit of academic rigor in the Master’s in Accountancy program, becoming the top-ranked student in the entire class. Kiser earned selection to the Dean’s List in Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021 and Spring 2022.
In May of 2023, Kiser was awarded the Dean’s Graduate Business Award, given to the student in each program, nominated by faculty, who demonstrates strong leadership amongst his/her classmates, shows promise for future professional success, and has a strong record of scholarship. He also earned the Tom Frecka Academic Achievement Award, recognizing the top GPA in the entire Master’s of Science in Accountancy program.
Kiser has participated in several community-facing initiatives during his time at Notre Dame. He has twice served as the player committee chairman for the program’s Cleats For a Cause initiative, and he served as the Fighting Irish Fight for Life football team lead for the past three years.
Additionally, Kiser worked with local low-income families to perform tax returns this past spring on a weekly basis leading up to Tax Day. He has also made an impact in his home community, as he visited his former youth football team to surprise local kids from his area, spend time with the team, and give them tickets to a Notre Dame Football game.