University of Montana senior captain and former Whitefish Bulldog standout Derek Crittenden is in the running for college football’s top scholar-athlete award.

The Grizzlies' 6-3, 240-pound defensive end is one of 12 finalists for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, a University of Montana press release reports.

Known as the “Academic Heisman” award, The Campbell Trophy recognizes the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.

As a finalist, Crittenden will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2015 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. He will travel to New York City for the awards dinner on Dec. 8, where one of the finalists will have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Crittenden is a double major in chemistry and mathematics holding a 4.0 GPA. He maintains the highest GPA of the 12 finalists, and is the only Rhodes Scholarship candidate in the group.

“It’s an enormous honor to be among the highest achieving players across the nation and I’m excited to meet them all in New York,” said Crittenden.

“Being named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy is a reflection of my individual effort, but more importantly it’s a representation of the awesome support that I’ve had from coaches and professors over the past few years. My goal is to help teammates and kids across Montana realize that just because you play football, doesn’t mean you can’t excel in the classroom.”

Crittenden is a 2010 graduate of Whitefish High School.

He was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America team. This season he was voted by his peers as a captain of the Grizzly football team.