Irving, Texas – Skyler Davis, Bryce Graves, Matthew McKay and Michael Purcell have each been named to the 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame today. The team is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and spring football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or better throughout their college careers.
 
An elite group of 1,734 players from 328 schools qualified for membership in 2023.
 
Davis earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2021 and completed his master's degree in January with a 3.55 grade point average. Graves will be graduating in May as an exercise science major with a 3.74 GPA. McKay earned a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Montana State in 2020 and is pursuing a master's degree in business analytics with a 3.34 grade point average, while Purcell has a bachelor's degree in finance from 2021 and completed his master's degree in business analytics in December with a 3.64 GPA.
 
Davis completed his career as one of the most decorated players in Elon history, being named First Team All-American by Walter Camp, the AFCA, Stats Perform, the Associated Press and FCS ADA. Davis broke most of Elon's kicking records during his career and tied the FCS single-season record of seven field goals of 50+ yards in 2022. He broke the school record with a 53-yard field goal in a win over Delaware and made 69 career field goals, tied for seventh-most in FCS history.
 
Graves played in 28 games over four years for the Phoenix, starting five times. He recorded 30 tackles in 2022 and had a season-high nine in Elon's FCS playoff appearance at Furman. During the 2020 season (spring 2021), he finished third on the team in tackles with 34 and added 3.0 for loss. He had a career-high 15 tackles with 1.5 for loss against Richmond.
 
McKay played just one season at Elon after transferring from Montana State, but made an immediate impact. As the team's starting quarterback in 2022, he led Elon to the FCS playoffs, completing 61.0 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He was one of 30 players named to the CFPA's National Performer of the Year Watch List.
 
Purcell played six years at Elon and is one of only two players in Elon's history to be a part of three FCS playoff teams. He was named second team All-CAA as a center in 2022, starting all 12 games. He was part of an offensive line that paved the way for Elon to rush for 120+ yards in 10-of-12 games after doing so just once in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he was seventh among all FCS centers in pass blocking and 23^rd in run blocking.

"We are thrilled 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 17 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."
 
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either:
 

• A senior player who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2022; or
• A graduated player, who has been out of high school at least three years

And must have:

• Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
• Been a starter or significant contributor throughout the 2022 season

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. Click here to learn more.
 
About The Hampshire Foundation
The Hampshire Foundation is the charitable arm of The Hampshire Companies, a privately-held, fully-integrated real estate firm that has more than 60 years of hands-on, cycle-tested experience in acquiring, developing, leasing, repositioning, managing, financing and disposing of real estate. Founded by Jon F. Hanson, who served as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006, Hampshire is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. Learn more at www.hampshirere.com.
 
About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.