Alumni Update - Nolan Nearhoff (Robert Morris)
Robert Morris senior defensive lineman Nolan Nearhoof earned the highest athletic honor of his career as he was selected as a third-team Football Championship Subdivision All-America by The Sports Network.
Nearhoof, a Mars High School graduate, was one of just eight defensive linemen named to the squad.
Nearhoof claimed the 14th All-America selection in Robert Morris football history and the first since 2010. He is the third Colonial defensive linemen to win an All-America honor, joining Matt Brunck and Ray Gensler.
Nearhoof was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by each of the league schools in late November.
Nearhoof posted a career-best 76 tackles in 2012, second on the team, while starting all 11 games at defensive end. He also tallied a career-high 13 tackles for loss, a mark which included 10.5 sacks.
He became just the third Colonial to post a double-digit sack total. Nearhoof led the NEC in sacks per game and ranks sixth nationally.
Nearhoof also added 11 quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. He posted eight tackles, including five solo stops, and a sack against eventual NEC champion Wagner and registered 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in a win over Duquesne.
Nearhoof’s finished his 40-game career with 26.5 sacks, which is both a school and conference record. He notched 36 career tackles for loss, which ranks fifth all-time at Robert Morris, while posting 213 overall tackles and three fumble recoveries.
Nearhoof, has garnered a litany of awards for his combined academic and athletic achievement. He recently earned his third Academic All-America accolade and claimed the NEC’s Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the 2012 award yet to be announced.
Nearhoof, who owns a 3.74 grade point average as a biology major, was recently selected as one of 15 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes and was the only one at the FCS level. As a result, he was granted an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and was a finalist for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy that recognizes an individual as the best scholar-athlete in the nation.
Nearhoof, who is also a three-time All-NEC First Team performer, became the first football student-athlete from any NEC school (including past football-playing members) to earn three Academic All-America honors in a career.
Nearhoof’s first All-America award makes him the ninth player in program history to claim such an honor. He was also one of just three NEC players to claim an All-America honor this year.
(photo courtesy of Robert Morris University)
Nearhoof, a Mars High School graduate, was one of just eight defensive linemen named to the squad.
Nearhoof claimed the 14th All-America selection in Robert Morris football history and the first since 2010. He is the third Colonial defensive linemen to win an All-America honor, joining Matt Brunck and Ray Gensler.
Nearhoof was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by each of the league schools in late November.
Nearhoof posted a career-best 76 tackles in 2012, second on the team, while starting all 11 games at defensive end. He also tallied a career-high 13 tackles for loss, a mark which included 10.5 sacks.
He became just the third Colonial to post a double-digit sack total. Nearhoof led the NEC in sacks per game and ranks sixth nationally.
Nearhoof also added 11 quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. He posted eight tackles, including five solo stops, and a sack against eventual NEC champion Wagner and registered 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in a win over Duquesne.
Nearhoof’s finished his 40-game career with 26.5 sacks, which is both a school and conference record. He notched 36 career tackles for loss, which ranks fifth all-time at Robert Morris, while posting 213 overall tackles and three fumble recoveries.
Nearhoof, has garnered a litany of awards for his combined academic and athletic achievement. He recently earned his third Academic All-America accolade and claimed the NEC’s Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the 2012 award yet to be announced.
Nearhoof, who owns a 3.74 grade point average as a biology major, was recently selected as one of 15 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes and was the only one at the FCS level. As a result, he was granted an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and was a finalist for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy that recognizes an individual as the best scholar-athlete in the nation.
Nearhoof, who is also a three-time All-NEC First Team performer, became the first football student-athlete from any NEC school (including past football-playing members) to earn three Academic All-America honors in a career.
Nearhoof’s first All-America award makes him the ninth player in program history to claim such an honor. He was also one of just three NEC players to claim an All-America honor this year.
(photo courtesy of Robert Morris University)
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