Griffin, Mack, Perkins and Reed Named to NFF Hampshire Honor Society

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia football players Nash Griffin, Jordan Mack, Bryce Perkins and Joe Reed earned NFF Hampshire Honor Society membership, as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. To earn membership a football student-athlete must maintain a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout his college career. UVA is one of eight ACC teams to place at least one student-athlete to earn the honor. 

Other qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include: Being a starter or a significant contributor in the last year of eligibility at an NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III or an NAIA college or university; achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout the entire course of undergraduate study; and meeting all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements.

Griffin (Indianapolis, Ind.) set UVA bowl records with longest punt (70) and best punting average (48.2) in the Orange Bowl against Florida. He is also one of two Cavaliers in program history to own two punts of 70+ yards in a season and in a career, joining Will Brice. 
 
Mack (Lithonia, Ga.) was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy and won the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award as the league’s top senior football student-athlete. He finished 2019 No. 1 in the ACC among linebackers with 7.5 sacks, which ranks No. 15 among the nation’s linebackers. 
 
Perkins (Queen Creek, Ariz.) finished 2019 No. 1 in the ACC and No. 6 in the nation with 4,307 total offense yards. He notched the top two total offense games in the ACC during the 2019 season with a school record 490 at North Carolina and 475 against Virginia Tech. Perkins broke his own UVA single-season record for total offense that he set in 2018 and set the UVA single-season passing record with 3,538 passing yards. 

Reed (Charlotte Court House, Va.) won the Jet Award as the nation’s top kick returner after leading the nation with a 33.2 kick return average. He was also a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. He was the only player in the nation with 24 or fewer kick returns to go with 700+ kick return yards. The versatile Reed also recorded 77 receptions and 679 receiving yards to go with seven touchdown. He was the only player in the nation with 600+ receiving yards (679) and 600+ kick return yards (796).
 
UVA has had a Cavalier now earn the honor five years in a row. Evan Butts, Lester Coleman and Joe Spaziani earned the honor in 2019. Kurt Benkert and Micah Kiser earned the honor in 2018, while Nicholas Conte, Ryan Santoro and Conner Wingo-Reeves earned the accolade in 2017. Ian Frye was recognized in 2016. Fellow ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Miami, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest also boast student-athletes that gained membership in 2020.