2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society site | 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society list |

WESTERVILLE – Otterbein senior Justin Bartlett was one of a record 2,514 student-athletes from 339 colleges and universities selected to the 2025 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is chosen annually and is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football. Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must 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. Additionally, members must have attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale and  been starters or contributors throughout the 2024 season. 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.

Being selected as a member of the 2025 class of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society is just latest in a long list of honors Bartlett has earned for his success on the field and in the classroom. In February, he was recognized as a 2024-25 John McConnell and Worthington Industries Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award honoree by the Columbus Chapter of the NFF during its 64th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University. The award recognizes a scholastic player voted outstanding in football performance, academic achievement and school leadership.

Bartlett had a standout senior season at Otterbein in 2024, earning All-Ohio Athletic Conference Second Team honors after starting all 10 games and posting 73 total tackles (31 solo, 42 assisted), 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. He led the Cardinals in tackles for loss and ranked second in total tackles and sacks. He ranked sixth in the OAC in tackles for game (7.3), ninth in total tackles and tied for 13th in tackles for loss.

An exercise and health promotion major, Bartlett attained a 3.74 cumulative GPA en route to earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Academic All-OAC recognition. He was also named the OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month for September.

An All-OAC Honorable Mention pick in 2022 and 2023 and a D3football.com All-Region selection in 2023, Bartlett holds career totals of 247 tackles (100 solo, 147 assisted), 43 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 38 games. His 19.5 tackles for loss as a junior in 2023 rank third all-time at Otterbein for a single season, and he ranks third on the all-time career list for tackles for loss. He closed out the 2024 season just three sacks shy of fifth on the all-time career list in that category.

The 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society class marked the largest in the program's 19-year history. Since its inception, the initiative has honored 20,928 student-athletes. This year's members represent six divisions: 689 from the FBS, 531 from the FCS, 212 from Division II, 978 from Division III, 58 from the NAIA and 46 sprint football players. They hailed from schools in every state and the District of Columbia, except Alaska, which does not sponsor an eligible college football program. The FBS cohort came from 120 schools, reflecting a 90% participation rate.

"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 and 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."

Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies, agreed.

"When we launched the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007, our goal was to shine a brighter light on the thousands of college football players achieving greatness in the classroom," he said. "To now see more than 20,000 honorees and a record-setting class in 2025 is incredibly rewarding. These young men represent the next generation of leaders, and I'm proud that the Society continues to celebrate their success both on and off the field."