Russell Krouse, a senior offensive tackle on the Bluffton University football team, was among 127 candidates this fall for the National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

Krouse, a marketing major from Huntsville, Ohio, was one of only 30 candidates from NCAA Division III teams and the only one from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Nominated by their schools-which are limited to one nominee each-candidates for the awards must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility; have grade point averages of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale; have outstanding football ability as evidenced by being first-team players or significant contributors to their teams; and have demonstrated leadership and citizenship. The group is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of media members, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

Krouse, an Indian Lake High School graduate, helped Bluffton to a 5-5 overall record-the Beavers' best since 2004-and a 5-3 mark in the Heartland Conference, good for a four-way tie for second place. That was Bluffton's first winning conference record since the 2001 team went 4-2, and the five conference wins were the most since 2000, when the Beavers were 5-1 and conference co-champions.