MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama defensive lineman Jesse Kelley was named Wednesday as a member of the 2015 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, which recognizes college football players who excel both on the field and in the classroom.
A Record Class
A total of 817 student-athletes from 278 schools qualified for this year’s class, the ninth in the society’s history. The number of schools represented is the most since the program began in 2007.
To qualify, a player must be a starter or significant contributor in his final year of eligibility, or a senior who has declared for the NFL Draft, at an NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III or NAIA school. Candidates must also hold a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or better throughout their undergraduate studies and meet all NCAA or NAIA progress-toward-degree requirements.
Success in the Classroom
Kelley is set to graduate from South Alabama in less than two weeks with a degree in meteorology and a minor in geology. He entered his final semester with a 3.42 GPA.
Earlier this week, Kelley received the Jim Yance Heart of a Jaguar Award at the Pete Tolbert Night of Champions. He was a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection as a defensive lineman this past fall and has been named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List in each of the last two years.
On the Field
Kelley was part of the South Alabama team that earned the program’s first postseason bowl berth, facing Bowling Green in the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in December.
He earned honorable mention All-Sun Belt recognition in 2014 after leading the Jaguars’ defense with a career-high 56 tackles and five sacks. He matched his previous best with 6.5 tackles for loss and broke up two passes.
Over five seasons, Kelley appeared in 42 games and earned three letters, finishing with 116 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
