Each year the National Football Foundation (NFF) takes a list of approximately 3,500 scholar-athletes from around the country and narrows it down to a select group of individuals.

The foundation honors the top senior scholar-athletes from around the country, spotlighting them regionally and inviting the regional winners to a national banquet.

This year, Northwestern Lehigh quarterback Deven Bollinger was named a regional winner by the NFF and invited to the banquet held in Irving, Texas.

But the honors didn’t stop there for Bollinger as he was one of just 82 individuals named to the NFF 2020 Team of Distinction.

“I was really surprised,” said Bollinger, who will play his college ball at the University of Delaware. “I was sitting at the banquet and I figured they would just be announcing other guys and all of a sudden I heard my name. It was unbelievable.”

Bollinger was named a scholar-athlete for the second straight season. In his senior year, Bollinger carried a 4.00 grade-point average and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Student Council. In addition to being named a scholar-athlete for the second straight season, Bollinger was also a two-time captain and two-year all-state selection for his performance on the field at Northwestern.

To be named to the team, the student-athletes must show a strong combination of academic achievements, have played at a consistently high level on the football field and show a sense of community involvement. Each local chapter around the country is able to nominate one candidate from among their scholar-athletes. All of the honorees will be part of a permanent digital display at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The NFF is chaired by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. On the organization’s website, Manning stated the mission of the program.

“This initiative allows us to shine a national spotlight on some of the most deserving high school student-athletes honored at the local level by our expansive chapter network,” Manning said. “This honor is one of the most prestigious national awards that a high school player can receive, and it really brings into focus the phenomenal work that our chapters do in identifying the most outstanding young leaders in their communities. We would like to congratulate all 82 honorees, holding them out as examples for future generations to emulate.”