DALLAS - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced on Thursday that University of Illinois senior linebacker J Leman has been named one of 15 National Scholar-Athlete winners.

Leman and his fellow recipients will be honored at the NFF annual awards dinner on Dec. 4 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Each winner receives an $18,000 scholarship. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection, Leman is working toward a master's degree in Human Resource Education. The Champaign native finished his undergraduate degree in Speech Communications in May 2006.

Leman leads the Big Ten in tackles this season with 89 and is a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi and Butkus Awards.