On Tuesday, December 9, DePauw Senior wide receiver, Robby Ballentine (Sr., Crown Point, Ind./Andrean), will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner to be honored as a finalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy. The Campbell Trophy "recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership." 

The Crown Point native has an outstanding 3.92 GPA, a career of record-breaking performances at wide receiver, and a commitment to service that lands him on a short list of 16 high-achieving college football players across the country. Ballentine sees his nomination as something bigger than himself. "Even if representing myself and my family and DePauw wasn't enough, to represent Division III athletes as a whole is really special," he says. Ballentine is the fifth National Scholar-Athlete in DePauw history, and the first since Ron Stier in 1989.

Tigers' head football coach Brett Dietz emphasizes that the Campbell Trophy is more than just an athletic award. "You can get a good athlete anywhere," he says, "[Ballentine] is not just a special player, he's a special person." Ballentine is a lead-by-example kind of player; he is humble with a quieter leadership style. "It may not be talking in front of the whole team, but it may be pulling a guy to the side or helping out a young guy with a route or an assignment," says Dietz. 

Fellow senior receiver, Lleyton Lukowski, says Ballentine has been leading in this way since move-in day their freshman year. "The first day we met, he wanted to run routes on Blackstock with me and a few other guys, and I felt like from that point on, I knew he was going to be a phenomenal player."

Scratching the surface of Ballentine's athletic accolades, he currently ranks second in Division III for receiving yards and seventh in receiving touchdowns. His 16 catches against Denison this year tied a program record, and his 246 receiving yards in that game broke his own record. He was the 2025 Mike Gregory Award recipient as the North Coast Athletic Conference's offensive player of the year, a 2024 D3football.com second team all-America, a three-time first team all-NCAC selection, and a 2025 Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist.

The current NCAA leader in career receiving touchdowns is a team captain and a key piece of the Tigers' success, with three NCAC championships and four consecutive Monon Bell wins for the first time in 25 years.

As for community involvement, Ballentine is a youth mentor for the Lake County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC). Volunteering with VTC since his freshman year,  Ballentine is a youth mentor for the children of veterans who have been honorably, less than honorably, or generally discharged from the United States Armed Services. Since his junior year, Ballentine has served as the academic chair for his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.

Ballentine finds motivation in his family. His parents, Julie and Shawn, are a big part of what keeps him striving for success on and off the field. From a young age, they instilled a fierce work ethic in Ballentine. "They sacrifice so much for me to be here," says Ballentine, "I feel like it would be a disservice to them to not work my absolute hardest." He values the support of his parents more than anything: "Just seeing how happy it makes them when I play on Saturdays is what keeps me going for football."

College football is just a stepping stone in Ballentine's life. "He understands that there's more life after football," says Dietz. Ballentine is grateful for his D3 experience, stating, "It's a perfect place where athletics and academics can meet, which embodies this award as a whole." 

At DePauw, Ballentine has been chosen as a 2024 First Team Academic All-America® and named to the NCAC Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and the Tiger Pride Honor Roll. A DePauw Dean's List honoree every semester, Ballentine has his sights set on pursuing either medicine or dentistry after DePauw, so prioritizing academics alongside his athletic journey is imperative to accomplishing his career goals.

After defeating Wabash College in the Monon Bell game, DePauw finished the regular season with a 9-1 record. With their only loss to conference opponent John Carroll and a second-place NCAC finish, the Tigers earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Championship. The Tigers ended their season last Saturday with a loss to Wheaton College in the third round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. 

Even with the noise and pressure that comes with being a returning all-American and one of the best wide receivers in Division III, Ballentine remains incredibly humble. The Tigers' mantra this year is "send me, send us", emphasizing the importance of every team member pulling in the same direction – stepping up wherever the team needs them. Dietz compliments Ballentine's humility, saying, "I think he would trade away all the individual accolades for team success, and that's the ultimate send me, send us."