Whitefish Grad and Griz Football Player Named Semifinalist for Scholar-Athlete Award
The winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy will earn a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship
By Mike Kordenbrock
Whitefish High grad and University of Montana football player Dillon Botner was announced last week as a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame’s William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually to an individual deemed the best football scholar-athlete in the country.
Botner, who is starting this season at center for the Griz, has a 3.7 GPA, and has bachelor’s degrees with magna cum laude honors in biochemistry, biology and neuroscience, according to an announcement from the University of Montana. He also has a minor in physics and is currently working on a graduate certificate in business entrepreneurship. After football, Botner is interested in going to medical school and becoming an orthopedic surgeon, according to the UM announcement.
Due to a medical waiver from the 2023 season stemming from a patellar tendon tear he sustained during a fall practice, Botner was eligible to return to the team this year for his seventh year, according to a preseason story from 406MTSports. His football career has also included a redshirt year, and a 2020 waiver for the pandemic-altered season. The same 406MTSports story detailed that Botner had initially decided to walk away from football after the 2024 season, but that after a postseason conversation with Griz head coach Bobby Hauck, he decided to come back and play while continuing to navigate the medical school application process with an eye toward enrolling in the fall of 2026.
A 2018 graduate of Whitefish High, Botner played on the offensive and defensive line for the Bulldogs, and as a tight end. He also played on the school’s basketball team.
Botner is one of nearly 180 semifinalists. The field will be narrowed down considerably in October when the National Football Foundation announces a group of 12 to 16 finalists, each of whom will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and an invitation to a December awards dinner at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The winner of the Campbell Trophy will have their postgraduate scholarship amount increased to $25,000.
Players are originally nominated by their schools, and then a class of semifinalists is selected by an awards committee made up of media, NFF College Football Hall of Fame members and athletics administrators.
In order to be eligible, a player must be a senior completing their final year of eligibility in 2025, or a graduate student or graduate transfer who has already been awarded a degree but is still playing in the 2025 season. Other requirements include at least a 3.2 GPA, and a demonstrated outstanding football ability as either a starter or significant contributor, as well as a demonstrably strong commitment to leadership and citizenship.
According to UM, Botner during his time with the Griz has won a 2024 team award for most inspirational player, and has volunteered over the years at high school sporting events and youth football camps. He’s also helped with UM’s National Marrow Donor Registry, has raked leaves for seniors living in the vicinity of campus, and helped seed a portion of the Mount Sentinel burn scar.
Finalists for the William V. Campbell trophy will be announced on Oct. 22. A full list of semifinalists can be found at https://footballfoundation.org/news/2025/9/24/football-best-of-the-best-nff-announces-2025-campbell-trophy-semifinalists.aspx.