Nine top North Louisiana scholar-athletes, others honored at annual NFF chapter dinner
North Webster High School offensive lineman Hudson Smith and Northwood athlete Justin “Champ” Thomas were the surprised winners of special honors at the 45th Annual National Football Foundation, S.M. McNaughton Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner in Shreveport Wednesday night.
Smith and Thomas were among nine Class of 2026 high school standouts from north and central Louisiana recognized during the event for their selection to receive $1,000 college scholarships from the McNaughton Chapter. Six were All-State selections and two carried perfect 4.0 grade point averages – all were all-district players with cumulative GPA’s of at least 3.2 who are involved in other extracurricular activities.
After all were introduced and individually interviewed on stage, and other recognitions were done, Thomas was named as the second annual winner of the Leo Sanford Captain’s Award. It honors the late Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame football player and lifelong McNaughton Chapter board member whose understated leadership was pivotal in a range of endeavors he took on for the benefit of local and regional organizations, including the Independence Bowl and his beloved college alma mater, Louisiana Tech.
Thomas, who lost his left hand in an accident at age 7 and overcame heart issues that interrupted his sophomore season, overcame those challenges and more to emerge as a remarkable leader for coach Austin Brown’s Falcons, and was part of a state champion relay team in track. Thomas played safety, outside linebacker, running back and wide receiver for Northwood.
Culminating the evening, Smith was cited as the McNaughton Chapter’s National Scholar-Athlete. He will be recognized in the NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and is in a pool of chapter winners considered for national honors among America’s Class of 2026.
Smith has a 4.0 GPA and is the 2025-26 North Webster Student of the Year. He was elected Governor at the statewide 2025 Boys State congress last summer, and is Springhill’s Mr. Main Street for 2026. He is National Honor Society president and vice president of the student council at North Webster, and a state tournament qualifier in tennis along with being a two-time all-district center for football coach Christopher Wilson.
The chapter’s scholarship recipients include four standouts from Caddo and Bossier parishes: Jeremiah Epps of Airline, Loyola’s Hayden Horton, Luke Miller of Calvary Baptist, and Northwood’s Thomas.
The other NFF scholarship winners are Ty Curtis of Buckeye, Luke Delafield of North DeSoto, West Monroe’s Hunter Fox, Micah Moser of Ouachita Christian School and North Webster’s Smith.
They were selected from a pool of 17 finalists after over 60 seniors were identified last fall on the chapter’s Preseason Scholar-Athlete Watch List. Head coaches nominated the candidates for the scholarships after last August recommending players to appear on the Watch List.
Epps received the KTBS Channel 3 Griffin’s Scholar-Athlete Award honoring the memory and legacy of the late Bob Griffin, a former NFF Board member who was an iconic sportscaster at KSLA and then KTBS for over 50 years. The scholarship is presented by KTBS and Southern Classic Chicken and selected from 14 area scholar-athletes on the Watch List who were recognized in weekly features that aired on the station.
Shreveporters Ken Antee and Rick Holland, who have played major roles in football locally and regionally, were given prestigious annual awards the chapter has presented since 1981. Antee is the 2026 winner of the Contributions to Amateur Football Award and Holland is the recipient of the chapter’s Distinguished American Award.
Coaches David Franklin of Haynesville and Scott Surratt from Carthage (Texas) received the chapter’s Coach of the Year accolades after leading their undefeated teams to the latest in a series of state championships.
The McNaughton Chapter has awarded scholarships to senior scholar-athletes since 1981. Coach of the Year awards have been presented occasionally in the past two decades.
PHOTO:
The nine National Football Foundation McNaughton Chapter 2026 scholarship winners (back row) were joined by East Texas coach of the Year Scott Surratt of Carthage, north Louisiana coach of the year David Franklin of Haynesville, Distinguished American Award recipient Rick Holland and Contributions to Amateur Football Award winner Ken Antee after the 45th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner at East Ridge Country Club in Shreveport.
The scholar-athletes (left to right) are Ty Curtis, Buckeye; Micah Moser, Ouachita Christian; Hunter Fox, West Monroe; Justin Thomas, Northwood; Luke Delafield, North DeSoto; Hayden Horton, Loyola College Prep; Hudson Smith, North Webster; Luke Miller, Calvary Baptist; and Jeremiah Epps, Airline.