IRVING, Texas – Graduate student defensive lineman Matt Bednarski (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg), senior defensive lineman Mike Forbes (Cheltenham, Md./Friendship Collegiate Academy), senior defensive lineman Kevin Couser (Windsor Mill, Md./Baltimore City College), senior defensive back Christian McDowell (Edgewood, Md./Edgewood), and graduate student long snapper Zach Frye (Fremont, Ohio/Fremont Ross) of the Shepherd University football team have been named to the 2024 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA, and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. 

An elite group of 1,989 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2024, setting a new record for the number of members in a single year during the program's 18-year history.

Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either: 

• A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2023; or 
• A graduated player, who has been out of high school for at least (3) years;

And must have: 

• Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and 
• Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2023 season.