Fresno State Athletics
Northern Named One of 15 Smartest Football Players
6/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 18, 2015
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - NFL.com reporter Chase Goodbread ranked college football's 15 smartest players in an article posted Thursday and Fresno State senior Justin Northern came in at No. 6 on his list.
Here is what Goodbread had to say about Northern:
"The Bulldogs' starting right tackle is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and carries a 3.81 GPA. Named to the Mountain West Conference All-Academic team the last two years, he is entering his third year as a starter and his fifth in the program."
Northern has an impressive academic resume in addition to starting every single game over the past two seasons at right tackle for the Bulldogs. He has twice been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 first-team and a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete while being selected to the past two Mountain West All-Academic teams.
In addition to excelling on the field and in the classroom, Northern also shares his time giving back to the community. He participated in Fresno State's MESA Day last spring, encouraging and teaching students--especially those from underserved populations--to learn about math, engineering, and science in new and exciting ways. He volunteered at the Fresno State Student Cupboard, the `Dogs Make a Difference Day' with SAAC and at the Adapted Physical Education Power Walking Challenge back on May 15. This Saturday, Northern and some other Bulldog teammates will be at the Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run to encourage and cheer on the participants.
NFL.com's CFB 24/7's "15 for '15" series is running this month with Thursday's focus looking at some of the smartest players in the college game. They did not compare LSATs and MCATs to come up with this group, but did add the requirement of significant on-field contributions.
New Mexico offensive lineman Garrett Adcock was also tabbed on the list, giving the Mountain West two representatives. Adcock, who has already obtained his biology degree, came in one spot ahead of Northern at No. 5.
You can see the full list by clicking on the following link.
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