DALLAS — UTSA's Hunter Duplessis has been named 2021-22 Conference USA Football Scholar Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Monday.
Duplessis, a product of San Antonio Cole High School, earned the honor for the second consecutive year and is one of 18 scholar-athletes across the league's 20 sports selected by C-USA faculty athletics representatives. The awards are presented to the top student-athlete in each conference-sponsored sport based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
Duplessis is the first UTSA football student-athlete to collect the award twice and one of two Roadrunners to earn the distinction in the sport (Nate Leonard, 2013-14).
An Academic All-America® selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and a two-time C-USA All-Academic Team selection, Duplessis earned his bachelor's degree in May 2020 with a 3.78 GPA as a double major in cyber security and information systems, and he has posted a 3.97 GPA as an MBA student focusing on technology management. He is a C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal recipient and Honor Roll member who has landed on the UTSA President's List for a perfect 4.0 semester GPA multiple times.
Duplessis was a two-time William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist and Burlsworth Trophy candidate, and he was twice voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District® VII First Team. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society. He received the 2021-22 UTSA Strength & Conditioning Award and the Will & Mary Hathaway Academic Athlete of the Year honor.
On the field, Duplessis was a two-time first-team all-conference performer at place-kicker, a 2020 honorable mention All-American and a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. A three-time C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week honoree in 2021, he set UTSA single-season records with 24 field goals, 63 extra points, 135 points scored, 89 kickoffs and 38 touchbacks. He ranked sixth nationally with a league-best 1.71 field goals per game and was sixth among FBS players in points scored last season. He received a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Denver Broncos in May.
Duplessis has been active in the community throughout his UTSA career. A three-time selection for the football team's Leadership Council, he was a member of the Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and "The Banquet Table" student group. He has volunteered his time with the San Antonio Food Bank, Haven for Hope (local homeless shelter), For the Kids Dance Marathon, CANtoberfest and UTSA's Rowdy Readers program that visits local elementary schools.
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