Michigan State University Athletics
Sam Edwards Named Big Ten Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award Recipient
3/9/2026 10:30:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State sixth-year graduate linebacker Sam Edwards has been selected as the male recipient of the 2025-26 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award from the Big Ten Conference.
All 18 Big Ten Conference member institutions were asked to nominate one female and one male student-athlete for the 2025-26 school year. The two honorees selected were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship for their achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and leadership.
USC's Margaret Johnson (water polo) was named the female recipient.
Edwards was voted team captain by his teammates in his sixth-year graduate season in 2025. While excelling on the field as both a standout special teams player and linebacker, Edwards made an equally significant impact in the classroom. In 2025, he was appointed as a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, becoming just the fourth football player to serve on the board.
The Williamston, Michigan, native and Lansing Catholic High School product is a five-time Academic All-Big Ten, four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-District selection; he is also a three-time recipient of the team's Scholar Athlete Award. In addition, he was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2025, which is considered the nation's premier scholar-athlete award in college football.
A four-year letterwinner (2022-25) and six-year player (2020-25), Edwards played in 41 career games for the Spartans. Prior to being named to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, he was selected in February 2025 as the Big Ten representative to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group. He has also helped with numerous community events throughout his time in East Lansing, including: student-athlete food drive; Beautiful Lives Project; Jack Breslin/McLaren Golf Classic volunteer; March is Reading Month; Be the Match – Bone Marrow Registry; peer tutoring service; visits to the Sparrow Hospital pediatric ward; and Teams for Toys.
Edwards graduated in May 2024 with a double major in political theory and constitutional democracy / international relations, completed a minor in political economy in December 2024, and earned his master's degree in marketing research in December 2025 with a 3.9 GPA. In preparation for a career in law, he has worked as an Ad Hoc Law Clerk at Nichols Law Firm in East Lansing.
The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, which began in 2008, is named for the late Big Ten Conference commissioner who served from 1971 to 1989. While leading the conference, Duke spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and graduation rates for students competing in conference athletics.
Edwards is the fourth Spartan to be named a recipient of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award (Scott Piper, swimming and diving, 2020; Lea Mitchell, gymnastics, 2021; Ashley Harlock, field hockey, 2024).
All 18 Big Ten Conference member institutions were asked to nominate one female and one male student-athlete for the 2025-26 school year. The two honorees selected were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship for their achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and leadership.
USC's Margaret Johnson (water polo) was named the female recipient.
Edwards was voted team captain by his teammates in his sixth-year graduate season in 2025. While excelling on the field as both a standout special teams player and linebacker, Edwards made an equally significant impact in the classroom. In 2025, he was appointed as a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, becoming just the fourth football player to serve on the board.
The Williamston, Michigan, native and Lansing Catholic High School product is a five-time Academic All-Big Ten, four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-District selection; he is also a three-time recipient of the team's Scholar Athlete Award. In addition, he was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2025, which is considered the nation's premier scholar-athlete award in college football.
A four-year letterwinner (2022-25) and six-year player (2020-25), Edwards played in 41 career games for the Spartans. Prior to being named to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, he was selected in February 2025 as the Big Ten representative to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group. He has also helped with numerous community events throughout his time in East Lansing, including: student-athlete food drive; Beautiful Lives Project; Jack Breslin/McLaren Golf Classic volunteer; March is Reading Month; Be the Match – Bone Marrow Registry; peer tutoring service; visits to the Sparrow Hospital pediatric ward; and Teams for Toys.
Edwards graduated in May 2024 with a double major in political theory and constitutional democracy / international relations, completed a minor in political economy in December 2024, and earned his master's degree in marketing research in December 2025 with a 3.9 GPA. In preparation for a career in law, he has worked as an Ad Hoc Law Clerk at Nichols Law Firm in East Lansing.
The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, which began in 2008, is named for the late Big Ten Conference commissioner who served from 1971 to 1989. While leading the conference, Duke spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and graduation rates for students competing in conference athletics.
Edwards is the fourth Spartan to be named a recipient of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award (Scott Piper, swimming and diving, 2020; Lea Mitchell, gymnastics, 2021; Ashley Harlock, field hockey, 2024).
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