Vanderbilt football tight end Eli Stowers wins Campbell Trophy
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What happened to Vanderbilt football tight end and captain Eli Stowers in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas.
Stowers won the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to a player for combined academic and football excellence as well as exemplary leadership. He is the first player in Vanderbilt history to win the award.
A day later, his roommate, Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Diego Pavia, was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and his coach, Clark Lea, was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Stowers was one of 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, which was presented Dec. 9 during the 67th Annual NFF Awards Dinner at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The prize includes a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Why did Eli Stowers win Campbell Trophy?
Stowers earned his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State in 2024 with a 3.92 GPA and has a master’s degree in finance from Vanderbilt. He plans to pursue a master’s in legal studies in fall 2026, after he’s expected to be taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Stowers helped the Commodores to a 10-2 regular season, the first time in program history the football team has won 10 games in a season. He had a team-best 62 catches for 769 yards and four touchdowns. He’s first among tight ends nationally in receiving yards and is second in receptions.
When does Vanderbilt football play its bowl game?
The Commodores were left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff, and instead will face Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (11 a.m. CT, Dec. 31, ESPN).
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football tight end Eli Stowers wins Campbell Trophy
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