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IRVING, Texas — On Wednesday, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced eight members of Kenyon College’s football team were named members of the 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
The 2023 Kenyon honorees include Jack Baulig, Rocco Danese, Nathan Junk, Jason Kessler, Mychael Leno, Finn Murray, Trenton Scherger, and Taso Sdregas. Murray and Sdregas represented the Owls’ offense, while Baulig, Junk, Kessler, Leno, and Scherger were all from the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, Danese handled Kenyon’s kicking and punting duties.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is chosen annually and is composed of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA, and sprint football. Honorees must have maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
An elite group of 1,734 players from 328 schools qualified for 2023 membership. The total set a new mark as the most honorees to be inducted in a single year in the program’s 17-year history, and the initiative has now honored 16,370 student-athletes since its inception.
“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 17 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.”
Kessler, Leno, and Murray were all captains in the fall. Kessler, a linebacker, majored in political science; Leno, a defensive back, is an American studies major; and Murray, a wide receiver, majored in history.
On defense, Baulig is a linebacker who majors in political science. He is joined on that side of the ball by Junk, a defensive back and history major, and Scherger, a linebacker who majors in biochemistry. Sdregas played along the Owls’ offensive line and is an environmental studies major. On special teams, Danese is a double major in political science and international studies.
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided an endowment to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF chairman from 1994-2006.
Since the inception of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Kenyon has had 72 players recognized as honorees.
