Every week, the National Football Foundation highlights the people, stories and moments that demonstrate football's impact beyond the field.
What Will Week 3 Bring?
After Week 2 delivered some major upsets and an all-time classic on the Forty Acres, we can’t wait to see what Week 3 will bring!
We’ve got three Top 25 matchups to look forward to, starting tomorrow night in Lubbock between No. 22 Houston and No. 13 Texas Tech and on Saturday with No. 16 SMU visiting No. 23 Louisville and No. 7 LSU heading to Oxford to take on No. 8 Ole Miss under the lights at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium!
Fire up the tailgates, we’ve got college football to watch!
NFF Updates highlights news and events connected to the National Football Foundation and celebrates individuals who have been honored by the organization.
For the ninth year, the National Football Foundation has released its annual list of current student-athletes at all levels of the game who have already earned their undergraduate degrees, underscoring the game's commitment to academic achievement and reinforcing the belief that football develops leaders. There are 2,687 players taking the field this fall with diplomas in their hand. Click here to read more.
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame have reported that football continues to expand, with 778 colleges and universities nationwide now offering football programs. The growth continues with 17 institutions across all NCAA divisions, the NAIA and independent schools launching programs in 2026 or announcing plans to take the field in the coming years. Click here to read more.
NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Luck has added Orange Bowl Hall of Fame to his long list of accolades, the organization has announced. Luck was the MVP of the 2011 Orange Bowl, throwing for 287 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-12 win over Virginia Tech.
Eric Weddle — DB, Utah
Jordan Lynch — QB, Northern Illinois
Join the Celebration of College Football’s Greatest Legends — December 8, 2026
College football players are members of the greatest fraternity in the world. Check out the National Football Foundation’s ‘I Played’ roster and submit your story to join today!
Members who recently submitted their ‘I Played’ story:
Pete Smolanovich, New Mexico State — Industrial supply industry
Jacob Vazquez, Fresno State — Interim associate dean/Agribusiness instructor, Butte College (CA)
Tim Quinn, Dayton — Retired orthopedic surgeon
“Playing for Coach John McVay [at the University of Dayton] taught me life lessons that perseverance in spite of setbacks and injuries can make you become a better and stronger person with strength for our journey through good times and bad times.”
— Tim Quinn, M.D.
Come see Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch on Dec. 8 at the
Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for his induction!
A First Team Associated Press All-American in 2013 as an all-purpose player, Jordan Lynch finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest-ever finish by a player from the Mid-American Conference. He became the first FBS player in history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in a season, accomplishing the feat by passing for 3,138 yards and rushing for 1,815. He also emerged as just the fifth player ever to record at least 20 rushing and 20 passing touchdowns in the same season.
Be there with us as we induct Jordan Lynch into the NFF College Hall of Fame on December 8 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas!
Stay tuned for more news regarding the latest football participation numbers, schools adding college football, graduates playing college football and the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner!
September 23 — Announcement of the 2026 NFF Campbell Trophy® Semifinalists
October 21 — Announcement of the 2026 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments/ NFF Campbell Trophy® Finalists
December 8 — 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at Bellagio Resort & Casino
December 8 — Announcement of the winner of the 37th NFF William V. Campbell Trophy®
December 8-9 — The SBJ Intercollegiate Athletics Forum at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
January 25, 2027 — CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Here are stories the NFF is reading this week as we gear up for another memorable college football season!
ESPN says Texas’ win over Ohio State was its most-watched regular season game in a decade
Yahoo! Sports
48-year-old father of 3 makes college football debut
ABC News
‘They just keep calling me’: At 93, John Pritchett is still the voice of Dallas ISD athletics
The Dallas Morning News
Terry Addison, who played collegiately at Minnesota and later served in the United States Marine Corps., passed away Aug. 30. He was 76.
Bill Barbary, who played collegiately at Clemson and served in the United States Army during the Korean War, passed away Sept. 8. He was 90.
Dean Davenport, the Director of Athletics at Ferris State (MN) from 1979-93, passed away Sept. 3. He was 91.
Edward Dean Jr., one of the winningest high school football coaches ever in Virginia at Madison County High School, passed away Sept. 14. He was 85.
Mike Detillier, a staple on WWL Radio in New Orleans who covered the LSU Tigers, New Orleans Saints and the NFL Draft, passed away Sept. 6. He was 65.
Joe Hornaday, the legendary sports information director at Texas Tech for 30 years who was essential in establishing the Texas Tech chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2002 and served as the organization’s first president, passed away Sept. 9. He was 79.
Marty Lowe, who played quarterback at Louisville and threw for more than 4,800 yards for the Cardinals, has passed away. He was 55.
Pete McCarty, who played collegiately at Massachusetts Amherst and captained the 1977 team before spending 40 years as a college coach, passed away Sept. 6. He was 70.
John O’Leary, who rushed for over 1,000 yards at Nebraska and played for three straight Cornhusker teams that finished in the top 10 of the final AP Poll, passed away Sept. 6. He was 72.
Derek Phillips, a member of the Hawkeye Marching Band at the University of Iowa, passed away Sept. 8. He was 20.
Kayla Saager-Beckley, the wife of Tulsa assistant coach John Beckley and a former collegiate soccer player at Binghamton, passed away Sept. 9. She was 30.
Virgil Williams, a coach at Calvary Baptist Academy in Louisiana, has passed away. He was 35.
You’re receiving this email from the National Football Foundation in partnership with Sport & Story. If you’d like to unsubscribe from the Footballetter Newsletter, which replaces the NFF’s Down & Distance, you can easily do so below and it won't affect anything related to your current communication preferences with the National Football Foundation.
