Football 12/10/2025 2:00:00 PM

APSU's Chandler Kirton Claims Second Consecutive Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honor

UAC recognizes 12-member All-Academic squad

United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football announced its All-Academic Team, as voted on by the league's Athletic Communications football contacts, and for the second consecutive season Austin Peay's Chandler Kirton claimed the UAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. The Govs have produced the award winner in all three seasons of its existence.

A graduate offensive lineman, Kirton graduated from Austin Peay in December 2024 with a 3.92 grade-point average while earning his degree in management; he currently maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing his Master's of Business Administration from APSU.

Kirton has been named a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy and 2025 Stats Perform Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is Austin Peay’s first-ever finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is presented by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame and is college football’s premier academic award. As a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, also known as the “Academic Heisman,” Kirton was recognized as one of 16 members of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. Kirton was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy and finalist for the Doris Robinson Award in 2024. The Doris Robinson Award is presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels not only on the playing field and in the classroom, but in the community and beyond.

A two-year team captain for Austin Peay, Kirton also is a two-time Collegiate Sports Communications Academic All-District selection, was named to the 2024 FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team, and was named to the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. He also has been named to the Dean’s List in 7-of-8 semesters at Austin Peay and was named to the APSU Athletics Director’s Honor Roll in one semester.

On the field, Kirton has started every game for Austin Peay since 2022 and finished his collegiate career with a program-record 47-consecutive starts on the offensive line. Kirton is a two-time all-conference selection, earning First Team All-UAC honors in 2023 and All-ASUN recognition in 2022.

The UAC All-Academic team included 12 student-athletes representing seven different programs. The prestigious group included a trio of student-athletes with a 4.00 cumulative GPAs. Student-athletes nominated for the UAC All-Academic team must have maintained a cumulative 3.5 GPA, have participated in 90 percent of contests during the season or be a starter in 66 percent of contests and must be at least a sophomore both athletically and academically.

2025 UAC FOOTBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Scholar Athlete of the Year: Chandler Kirton (Austin Peay)