Nebraska · Big TenLuke Lindenmeyer earns Campbell Trophy nomination
Nebraska’s fifth-year tight end is one of 206 candidates, with 12 to 16 finalists to be announced Oct. 21.
OCT 8, 2026
Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer was nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy as one of 206 candidates, joining the award race while the Huskers are 5-0 through five games.
The Campbell Trophy considers football performance, leadership and citizenship along with academics. Lindenmeyer has played a blocking role for a Nebraska offense ranked 17th nationally in rushing and 24th in total offense, while catching 12 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.
That gives his candidacy a football case as well as an academic one. Lindenmeyer is in his fifth season at Nebraska, with 44 appearances and 25 starts, and he is a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection and 2026 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. He also has worked in Nebraska’s Life Skills program, received the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team honor four times and was among 27 Nebraska athletes to receive the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award in 2024.
The National Football Foundation will announce 12 to 16 finalists Oct. 21. The winner will be announced in Las Vegas on Dec. 8.
01 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The hidden hurdle is the compression from one school nominee to a national finalist: 12 to 16 places for 206 candidates means roughly 6% to 8% advance. Lindenmeyer’s 44 appearances and 25 starts give him a longer football record than his 12-catch season suggests, while Nebraska’s 5-0 start sits two wins short of its entire 7-6 finish in 2025.
The calendar gives that case two more stages before the Oct. 21 cut. Nebraska faces Indiana on Oct. 10 and visits Oregon on Oct. 17, teams Josh Pate included in his preseason playoff bracket.
02 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will Lindenmeyer make the finalist cut?
Advancing would move him from Nebraska’s single annual nominee into a group representing no more than 16 of 206 candidates. His résumé reaches the award’s academic, football, leadership and citizenship standards, but the size of that reduction makes selection the test. The National Football Foundation’s Oct. 21 announcement supplies the answer.
What can Lindenmeyer add to his football case against Indiana and Oregon?
Those are Nebraska’s final two games before the finalist announcement. Lindenmeyer enters them with 12 catches, while the Huskers rank 17th in rushing and 24th in total offense. His receiving lines and Nebraska’s rushing output against those opponents will show whether the football portion of his case gains weight before the field is reduced.