Eight Owls named to NFF Hampshire Honor Society

IRVING, Texas — The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced Wednesday that eight members of the Kenyon College football team were named to the 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.

The Kenyon honorees for the 2023 season included Sam Bouchard, Nate Braus, Max Bryer, Tom Iannuzzi, Cole Kirol, Nate Stuart, Sam Thompson and Chris Zaiser.

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is chosen annually and is composed of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA and NAIA. To be included in the NFF Society, a student-athlete had to be a senior and had to maintain a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or better. That student-athlete also had to be a starter or a significant contributor throughout the 2023 season.

A group of 1,989 players from 339 schools qualified for membership this year, setting a new record for the number of members in a single year during the program’s 18-year history.

“We are thrilled to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year’s Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Over the last 18 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives.”

Half of the Kenyon honorees played along the offensive line. That group consisted of Braus, a political science major; Kirol, a psychology major; Stuart, a chemistry major; and Zaiser, a double major in Spanish and international studies.

The other Kenyon honoree on the offensive side of the ball was Bryer, a tight end and an economics and psychology double major.

Defensively, the Owls were represented by Bouchard, a linebacker and double major in political science and psychology; Iannuzzi, also a linebacker and a political science major, and Thompson, a defensive lineman and psychology major.

Since the inception of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Kenyon has had 80 players recognized as honorees.