March 2, 2026 – A Master’s in Business Administration. A 3.92 GPA. Nominated for a competitive national award. They're all accomplishments Fletcher High School graduate Chandler Kirton said he never would have expected for himself.
“I’m going to be honest, I never thought football or my academics would ever take me that far, especially to be up for a national award,” he said. “But you work hard, you can really accomplish anything, and I think that’s what I was able to do.”
Kirton, a recent offensive lineman with Austin Peay State University, was named among 16 finalists for the National Football Foundation’s 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the “Academic Heisman.” With past winners including Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning, the honor is considered college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, honoring students for success on the field and in the classroom.
While the award ultimately went to another student-athlete, Kirton said the nomination is evidence of the passion Team Duval educators have poured into him since he was a Kindergarten student at Alimacani Elementary School.
“I had teachers throughout every grade that would work with me,” he explained. “I had a lot of resources that DCPS really afforded me in order to be a better student and grow into the role I have now.”
Kirton said it also doesn't hurt that his mom is a long-time educator. Kelly Bradley-Kirton, who teaches VPK at Alimacani, said her son’s teachers and coaches continually rallied around him with motivation and support –– even when it was hard.
“He wasn’t always the best student. He struggled some,” she said. “They would work with him before and after school. These men and women have poured so much into him.”
Kirton said he continues to stand on that support today. The recent college graduate is now working as a field engineer for a laboratory in Tennessee. It’s a path Kirton and his mom said wouldn’t have been possible without Team Duval in their corner.
“It’s those connections that public schools make and give,” said the VPK teacher. “This is a family. Duval is a family, and I truly feel that’s what has made the kids successful.”
“There were plenty of times where times got tough. School was hard. You don’t understand the material,” added Kirton. “But a lot of those educators really helped me to excel outside and inside the school.”