IRVING, Texas (Sept. 24, 2015) - On Thursday, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced the 135 semifinalists for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy, and LIU Post football senior Sean Binckes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made the cut.

The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

Binckes has been a maintstay for the Pioneers throughout his collegiate career. Last season, he was a Don Hansen All-America Honorable Mention and an All-NE-10 first team selection. In addition, Binckes was chosen to the Football Gazette All-Super Region One Second Team and earned the nod as an NE-10 Academic All-Conference honoree.

Through the team's first three games this season, he has a team-high 19 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown. In the classroom, Binckes, a Sports Management major, boasts a cumulative grade-point average of 3.80.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards 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. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally-recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletic administrators.

The NFF will announce 15 finalists on Oct. 29, and each of them will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 26th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.