BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University graduate student Quinton Browder and seniors Corey Conlin, Marvelous Nicholson, SP Pragano, Zachary Souza, Jonah Varallo and Anton Vasquez have been selected to the National Football Foundation (NFF) 2025 Hampshire Honor Society.
The 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
A record 2,514 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 20,928 student-athletes. This year's members represented 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.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have been a starter or significant contributor in their final year of eligibility while achieving at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and meeting all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements and graduation.
Browder (3.56 GPA) is in his second year of graduate school and is pursuing a Masters in Physical Education.
Conlin (3.407 GPA), Nicholson (3.509 GPA), Pragano (3.459 GPA), Souza (3.361 GPA), Varallo (3.375) and Vasquez (3.266 GPA) are all seniors. Conlin and Souza are physical education and exercise physiology majors, respectively, while Nicholson is majoring in marketing. Pragano and Vasquez are both history majors, and Varallo is majoring in criminal justice.
A native of Mansfield, Texas, Browder appeared in 17 games for the Bears over two seasons at linebacker. He recorded 27 tackles (15 solo) with 1 1/2 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Conlin, who hails from Smithfield, Rhode Island, notched 44 tackles (29 solo) in 26 games over three seasons with the three Bears in the defensive backfield. He also recorded three passes defended, including an interception, and forced a fumble.
An East Falmouth, Massachusetts resident, Nicholson appeared in 18 games over three seasons with the Bears at linebacker. He recorded 18 tackles (ten solo) with 3 1/2 tackles for loss including a sack to go along with a pass defended and a forced fumble.
Pragano, who calls Northford, Connecticut home, appeared in all 31 games for the Bears over the last three seasons as the holder and at quarterback. He completed 51 of 111 pass attempts for 491 yards and three touchdowns and held the ball for 19 successful field goals and 108 PATs.
A native of Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, Souza played in all 41 games over his four-year career at BSU and captained the team in both 2023 and 2024. He tallied 184 tackles (122 solo) with 3 1/2 tackles for loss to go along with 12 interceptions, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Varallo, who hails from Billerica, Massachusetts, appeared in 32 games (21 starts) for the Bears over the last four seasons at offensive tackle. Nineteen of his 21 starts came over his final two seasons.
A resident of Nahant, Massachusetts, Vasquez spent his first two seasons (21 games) on the defensive side of the ball at nose tackle, before switching over to the offensive line for his final two years and played in 19 games as the starting center.
Vasquez recorded 74 tackles (40 solo) with 7 1/2 tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks on defense with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The BSU offensive line paved the way for 6,543 yards of total offense (3,196 rushing/3,347 passing) and 62 touchdowns (42 rushing/20 passing) in 20 games over the last two seasons.
"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," Hatchell added. "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."
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.
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
"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," said Jon F. Hanson, chairman emeritus of the NFF and founder of The Hampshire Companies. "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."
"This year's record-setting class reminds us just how many outstanding young men are using college football as a platform to launch successful futures," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The Hampshire Honor Society continues to celebrate those who lead by example—excelling academically, athletically and as people of character. We're proud to honor them and deeply grateful to Jon Hanson for making this inspiring tradition possible."
Complete list of National Football Foundation 2025 Hampshire Honor Society members (PDF)