OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Thomas Booker and Isaiah Sanders were named two of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award® on Wednesday. Stanford is one of only two schools with two candidates on the list.
Booker is a double major in communication and economics and owns a 3.89 GPA. He is a two-time team captain and Stanford's nominee for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy. Last season, Booker was named a CoSIDA first team Academic All-American, in addition to earning All-Pac-12 first team honors on special teams and second team honors on defense. So far this season, Booker has 29 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and three QB hurries.
Sanders, a 2020 graduate of the Air Force Academy, owns a 3.92 GPA as a master's student in Management Science and Engineering. He is commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and passionate about community and civil service. As Stanford's short-yardage quarterback, Sanders has two rushing touchdowns this season and four TDs on eight attempts in the last two seasons.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during football bowl season in December.