Five South Carolina football players make prestigious scholar-athlete list
On Wednesday, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame announced the annual NFF Hampshire Honors Society members. Five South Carolina football players made the cut.
Defensive tackle Nick Barrett, quarterback/wide receiver Luke Doty, defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway, tight end Brady Hunt, and defensive back Joseph Byrnes are receiving the honor.
To earn consideration for this year’s NFF Hampshire Honors Society, a player must be a graduating or graduated senior who maintained a 3.2 GPA throughout his college career, played in 2024, and earn a nomination from his school and program.
Hemingway and Byrnes are graduates who will not return to the Gamecocks this fall. Barrett, Doty, and Hunt, however, all have remaining eligibility.
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From the South Carolina Athletics release:
Five University of South Carolina football players are part of the record number of members for the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced today.
Representing the Gamecocks are Nick Barrett, Joseph Byrnes, Luke Doty, Tonka Hemingway and Brady Hunt.
Barrett is slated to graduate in May with a degree in sport and entertainment management. Byrnes will also graduate in May with a degree in mechanical engineering. Doty earned an undergraduate degree in December 2023 in psychology and is on track to receive his master’s degree in coaching education in May. Hemingway graduated in December of 2023 with a degree in public health. Hunt earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ball State.
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A record 2,532 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2025, marking the largest class in the program’s 19-year history. Since its inception, the initiative has honored 20,946 student-athletes.
“In today’s era of NIL and the transfer portal, we firmly believe that education remains the key to long-term success,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “These results reaffirm that academics are still top of mind for today’s student-athletes. We salute the schools, coaches, and administrators who continue to champion education as a core part of the student-athlete experience. We’ll keep doing everything we can to promote those academic ideals and ensure education stays central to the holistic development of every student-athlete.”
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be a senior player graduating this spring/summer who completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2024; or
- Be a graduated player or grad transfer who has already earned a bachelor’s degree and competed in the 2024 season (even if the player has remaining eligibility and may return to play next season).
And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or contributors throughout the 2024 season.
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 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
