Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Roberts Honored as 2015 NFF Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient
10/7/2015 9:33:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — Freshman wide receiver Jelani Roberts has been selected as one of five student-athletes honored by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame as a recipient of the 2015 National High School Scholar-Athlete Award.
Roberts will be honored for his high school accomplishments during the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
First bestowed in 1991, the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards have become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to, academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement.
A two-year letterman at wide receiver and as a return specialist, Jelani Roberts was a team captain in his senior season and received the William C. Bruce Jr. Athletic Prize as The Gilman School's best athlete in Baltimore. A two-time First Team All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association selection, he was also a First Team Private School All-State selection. Roberts produced 1,695 all-purpose yards, and he scored 15 touchdowns in 2014 for the MIAA Co-Champion Greyhounds.
Carrying a weighted 4.63 GPA on a 4.0 scale and earning a 2120 on the SAT, Roberts was a four-year member of the Honor Roll. He earned perfect scores on the AP Biology, Calculus, Psychology and Physics Exams and graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction. Roberts was a member of the National Cum Laude Society and was named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student.
Roberts served as vice president of the school's athletic association and as an assistant coach for Randallstown Youth Football. He also volunteered at Paul's Place, a Baltimore soup kitchen, and with the Parks and People Organization.
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. The centerpiece of their efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation's top scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in scholarships. From this pool of 3,500 scholar-athletes, the chapters nominated 40 individuals in 2015 as finalists for the highly coveted NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards.
During the past 24 years, 105 student-athletes have been recognized as NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes, and this year will mark the 25th class of honorees. Recent recipients include Brandon Fisher (2005, former Montana linebacker and current St. Louis Rams defensive backs coach), Andrew Luck (2008, former Stanford and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback), Chris Prosinski (2006, former Wyoming and current Chicago Bears safety), Andrew Rodriguez (2008, former Army West Point linebacker and winner of the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy), and Weston Steelhammer (2003, First Team All-Mountain West defensive back at Air Force).
Other past recipients include Todd Helton (1992, former Tennessee quarterback and retired Colorado Rockies first baseman) and Drew Henson (1998, a former Michigan quarterback and professional football and baseball player), Bobby Hoying (1991, a former Ohio State quarterback and winner of the 1995 William V. Campbell Trophy) and Jon Stinchcomb (1998, a former Georgia and NFL offensive lineman). Five NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes have gone on to win NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards for their accomplishments in college. They are Giovanni Carmazzi (1995, Hofstra), Hoying, Eion Hu (1993, Harvard), Rodriguez and Stinchcomb.
Roberts will be honored for his high school accomplishments during the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, presented by Under Armour, on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
First bestowed in 1991, the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards have become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to, academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement.
A two-year letterman at wide receiver and as a return specialist, Jelani Roberts was a team captain in his senior season and received the William C. Bruce Jr. Athletic Prize as The Gilman School's best athlete in Baltimore. A two-time First Team All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association selection, he was also a First Team Private School All-State selection. Roberts produced 1,695 all-purpose yards, and he scored 15 touchdowns in 2014 for the MIAA Co-Champion Greyhounds.
Carrying a weighted 4.63 GPA on a 4.0 scale and earning a 2120 on the SAT, Roberts was a four-year member of the Honor Roll. He earned perfect scores on the AP Biology, Calculus, Psychology and Physics Exams and graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction. Roberts was a member of the National Cum Laude Society and was named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student.
Roberts served as vice president of the school's athletic association and as an assistant coach for Randallstown Youth Football. He also volunteered at Paul's Place, a Baltimore soup kitchen, and with the Parks and People Organization.
With 120 chapters and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network impacts more than 500,000 student-athletes at 5,000 high schools in 47 states each year. The centerpiece of their efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation's top scholar-athletes and distribute more than $1 million in scholarships. From this pool of 3,500 scholar-athletes, the chapters nominated 40 individuals in 2015 as finalists for the highly coveted NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards.
During the past 24 years, 105 student-athletes have been recognized as NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes, and this year will mark the 25th class of honorees. Recent recipients include Brandon Fisher (2005, former Montana linebacker and current St. Louis Rams defensive backs coach), Andrew Luck (2008, former Stanford and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback), Chris Prosinski (2006, former Wyoming and current Chicago Bears safety), Andrew Rodriguez (2008, former Army West Point linebacker and winner of the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy), and Weston Steelhammer (2003, First Team All-Mountain West defensive back at Air Force).
Other past recipients include Todd Helton (1992, former Tennessee quarterback and retired Colorado Rockies first baseman) and Drew Henson (1998, a former Michigan quarterback and professional football and baseball player), Bobby Hoying (1991, a former Ohio State quarterback and winner of the 1995 William V. Campbell Trophy) and Jon Stinchcomb (1998, a former Georgia and NFL offensive lineman). Five NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes have gone on to win NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards for their accomplishments in college. They are Giovanni Carmazzi (1995, Hofstra), Hoying, Eion Hu (1993, Harvard), Rodriguez and Stinchcomb.
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