MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University safety Sean Mahone and kicker Evan Staley were named to the Hampshire Honor Society by The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, today, as announced by the organization.

The Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.

"As the National Football Foundation celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022, we are pleased to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Over the last 16 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives."

With the addition of Mahone and Staley to the group, the number of Mountaineers named to the Honor Society since its formation in 2007 is now up to 40.  

Mahone was a five-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, a CoSIDA 2020 Academic All-American Second-team selection, a 2021 finalist for the William Campbell Trophy and a member of the National Football Foundation's Scholar-Athlete team. The Liberty Township, Ohio, resident graduated magna cum laude with a 3.60 grade point average in management information systems in 2020, and what sets him apart as one of the top football scholar-athletes in the nation is that he already completed his MBA with a 3.70 grade point average, before he stepped on the field for his final season.

Mahone was a three-year starter at cat safety and was among the top five WVU tacklers his last three years and ranked among the top in the Big 12.

Staley was a four-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member and a CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 selection in 2020. He graduated in May 2020 with his bachelor's degree in exercise physiology. He is currently working on a master's degree in safety management and will graduate in May.

Staley was one of the team's kickers, playing in 52 career games. He finished his career with 39 field goals, ranking No. 7 in the school's career list and had 117 extra points, ranking No. 6. He also handled the team's kickoffs, finishing with 256 kicks and 81 touchbacks during his career.

An elite group of 1,559 players from 313 schools qualified for membership in 2022, the Society's 16th year. The 1,559 honorees are the second most in a single year during the program's history. The initiative has now honored 14,640 student-athletes since its inception.

"We have honored more than 13,000 student-athletes in the last 14 years thanks to Jon Hanson's generosity," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "We are grateful for his passionate belief in the scholar-athlete ideal, and the Hampshire Honor Society allows us to showcase the names of tomorrow's leaders while inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps." 

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 771 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.

Twenty-five colleges and universities have had at least one player in all 16 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society (2007-22), including Brigham Young, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Dayton, Iowa, Johns Hopkins (Maryland), Kentucky, Lafayette, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Penn State, Redlands (California), Saint John's (Minnesota), SMU, South Dakota State, Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri), Wayne State (Michigan), West Virginia, Wingate (NC), Yale and Youngstown State.

The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards.