WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University senior defensive lineman Paul Norris (North Attleboro/ North Attleboro HS) has been named one of 135 semifinalists for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments and prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will announce 15 finalists Oct. 29, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8. At that event, one member will be declared the winner of the 26th William V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

"These 135 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."

The Campbell Trophy is named in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal.

"The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this group of candidates."

Norris, a second-team All-Northeast-10 selection a year ago and a team captain this fall, has been in on six tackles, including one sack, during the Falcons' first three contests in 2015. He's both recovered and forced a fumble, and has been credited with three quarterback hurries.

Last year, Norris led Bentley in both tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7), ranking among the conference leaders in both categories.

Norris, who has achieved a 3.60 grade point average as a finance major, aspires to be an astrophysicist and work for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In the nomination, coach Bill Kavanaugh said "Paul Norris is an example for all student-athletes about work ethic and dedication to both excel in the classroom and on the field. He is an outstanding young man who leads by example. Paul sets the pace for our team on the field every day, both more importantly, in the classroom and socially."

Norris was one of 20 semifinalists from Division II and one of a dozen from a New England instution.

Bentley resumes its schedule Saturday with a 1 pm game at Merrimack College.