Temple University Athletics
Temple Has Five Players on 2018 NFF Hampshire Honor Society
4.12.18 | Football
PHILADELPHIA- The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced the members of the 2018 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Temple's Mike Jones, Keith Kirkwood, Corey Lerch, Nick Sharga, and Alex Starzyk were selected to be part of the honorary group this year.
Jones, a graduate transfer from North Carolina Central, started all 13 games for the Owls in 2017. The cornerback intercepted quarterback Brandon Wimbush at Notre Dame in his debut as an Owl and finished the year with 44 tackles. The Baltimore native earned his degree in sports management.
Kirkwood, a Neptune, N.J., native, transferred to Temple from Hawaii in 2014. He played immediately and matured into a captain as a senior in 2017, earning the first single-digit under first-year head coach Geoff Collins (it is a school tradition that only the toughest players on the team wear single-digit jerseys). In the past two seasons, the wide receiver pulled in 87 passes for 1,319 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and earned a degree in criminal justice.
Sharga, like Kirkwood, earned a single-digit jersey and wore #4 for three seasons. He walked onto the Owls in 2014 after spending one year at West Virginia Wesleyan. Sharga started his career at linebacker and defensive end before making the transition to fullback. One of the most decorated academic players in Temple history, he earned a kinesiology degree with a 3.8 GPA, was a two-time All-Academic District team member, and a Campbell Trophy Semifinalist.
Lerch and Starzyk were former freshmen walk-ons who played in every game during their four years at Temple. The 53 consecutive games played for each is a school record. Lerch, a long snapper, is a Rydal, Pa., native who earned a degree in finance. Starzyk is a punter from Pleasant Valley, N.Y., who averaged 40.0-yards on 243 punt attempts. He majored in criminal justice.
The 2018 NFF 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. An all-time high 1,252 players from a record 303 schools qualified for membership in the society's 12th year.
Jones, a graduate transfer from North Carolina Central, started all 13 games for the Owls in 2017. The cornerback intercepted quarterback Brandon Wimbush at Notre Dame in his debut as an Owl and finished the year with 44 tackles. The Baltimore native earned his degree in sports management.
Kirkwood, a Neptune, N.J., native, transferred to Temple from Hawaii in 2014. He played immediately and matured into a captain as a senior in 2017, earning the first single-digit under first-year head coach Geoff Collins (it is a school tradition that only the toughest players on the team wear single-digit jerseys). In the past two seasons, the wide receiver pulled in 87 passes for 1,319 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and earned a degree in criminal justice.
Sharga, like Kirkwood, earned a single-digit jersey and wore #4 for three seasons. He walked onto the Owls in 2014 after spending one year at West Virginia Wesleyan. Sharga started his career at linebacker and defensive end before making the transition to fullback. One of the most decorated academic players in Temple history, he earned a kinesiology degree with a 3.8 GPA, was a two-time All-Academic District team member, and a Campbell Trophy Semifinalist.
Lerch and Starzyk were former freshmen walk-ons who played in every game during their four years at Temple. The 53 consecutive games played for each is a school record. Lerch, a long snapper, is a Rydal, Pa., native who earned a degree in finance. Starzyk is a punter from Pleasant Valley, N.Y., who averaged 40.0-yards on 243 punt attempts. He majored in criminal justice.
The 2018 NFF 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. An all-time high 1,252 players from a record 303 schools qualified for membership in the society's 12th year.
Players Mentioned
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