IRVING, Texas – Fourteen University of Dayton football players – placekicker Danny Baker, H-back Cade Beam, quarterback Dylan Davidson, center Dylan DeMaison, defensive tackle Nate Hess, safety Cole Hildebrand, linebacker Cole Johnson, cornerback Jeremy Jonozzo, offensive lineman Colin Koennecke, linebacker Dan Kowaleski, linebacker Aiden McKinley, safety Logan Miller quarterback Jadyn Nirschl and defensive tackle Jack Wardzala -- have been named to the 2025 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society.

Now in its 19th year, the Hampshire Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career. A record total of 2,532 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in the society this year. 

UD is one of just 23 institutions to have at least one senior qualify for membership in all 19 classes of the Hampshire Society.  The others are BYU, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Dayton, Iowa, Johns Hopkins (MD), Kentucky, Lafayette, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Penn State, Redlands (CA), Saint John's (MN), SMU, South Dakota State, Wayne State (MI), West Virginia, Wingate (NC), Yale and Youngstown State.

Dayton is also the only school from the Pioneer Football League.

The top five for total honorees during the 19-year span of the program include Brown (228), Dayton (208), Johns Hopkins (197), Nebraska Wesleyan (157) and Yale (157).

The majors of the Flyers recognized this year include Accounting, Biomedical Sciences, Business Economics, Chemical Engineering, Education, Finance, Graphic Design, Marketing, Mechanical Engineering, Pre-Dentistry and Public Relations 

Dayton is one of just 16 Division I institutions (and 40 overall) to have at least 14 members of this year's Hampshire Society class.  The others from D-I are Brown, Colorado State, Columbia, Dartmouth, Elon, Harvard, Kansas, Marist, Montana, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Stony Brook. Harvard, Kansas and Stony Brook tied for the most in Division I with 22.  


"In today's era of NIL and the transfer portal, we firmly believe that education remains the key to long-term success," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "These results reaffirm that academics are still top of mind for today's student-athletes. We salute the schools, coaches, and administrators who continue to champion education as a core part of the student-athlete experience. We'll keep doing everything we can to promote those academic ideals and ensure education stays central to the holistic development of every student-athlete."

Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds 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. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
 
"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."

"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
 
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.