Robert Morris University Athletics

2009-12
 
A four-year letterwinner for the Colonials on the defensive line, Nearhoof concluded his career with 213 tackles, including 36 tackles for loss. Among his tackles for loss were 26.5 sacks, which stands as the program's career record in the category. A three-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection (2010, 2011, 2012), in his final year at RMU Nearhoof was named the 2012 NEC Defensive Player of the Year. That season he recorded 76 tackles, including 10.5 sacks. In 2010, Nearhoof, a native of Gibsonia, Pa., helped lead the Colonials to their sixth NEC championship as well as the league's first bid to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs. Nearhoof was also one of 15 student-athletes across all divisions, including the only one from the NCAA FCS ranks, to be named a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete in 2012. Thanks to the honor, Nearhoof was awarded an $18,000 scholarship to assist in postgraduate studies. He maintained a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) while at RMU in earning a Bachelor of Science in biology and was a three-time NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012) for football.