AUSTIN, Texas – Ouachita Baptist University graduate Peyton Stafford highlights a trio of student-athletes from the Tiger football program to earn Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communicators for the 2022 season.

Joining Stafford on the list of Academic All-America selections from Ouachita are sophomore receiver Connor Flannigan and sophomore running back Kendel Givens. All three were selected to the CSC Academic All-America Second Team. The trio becomes the second, third, and fourth Ouachita players ever to earn national academic honors. Defensive lineman Kyle Lamothe was the program's first Academic All-America honoree in 2014.

Stafford has been in the news this season for both his on-field performance and his academic success. Early in the 2022 season, the Amarillo, Texas native was selected as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is college football's premier scholar-athlete award. He also earned All-America honors by three different organizations this past season for his performance as one of the best offensive linemen in the nation.

Stafford graduated from Ouachita last month with a bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Throughout his undergraduate career at Ouachita, he has not only been a part of four Great American Conference championships, but also served as a team captain for the past two seasons. He has led and/or participated in community involvement efforts both locally in Arkadelphia, and in his hometown of Amarillo.

Flannigan just completed his sophomore season with the Tigers. The Fayetteville, Arkansas native has led the Tigers in receiving in each of his first two seasons, but had a breakout season this past year with 56 receptions for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns, just one score away from tying the program's single-season record. He has also been Ouachita's primary punt return specialist with a career average of just over 14 yards per return. Flannigan is also succeeding in academics, working toward a degree in finance, business administration, and sport management, with a minor in Spanish.

Givens also just completed his sophomore season with the Tigers as a part of what has arguably been the best running back corps in the nation for the past two seasons. The Little Rock, Arkansas native led all of NCAA Division II as a freshman with an average of 13.1 points per game and a final total of 23 rushing touchdowns. This past season, he finished just shy of 1,000 rushing yards with 14 more touchdowns to add to his career total. Givens is also a top performer in the classroom, pursuing a degree in communications and sports media.

These three helped lead Ouachita to its 14th consecutive winning season in 2022 with a final record of 11-1. The Tigers posted an undefeated regular season for the fourth time in the past eight years, won the GAC championship for the sixth time in the 11-year history of the league, and qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in program history.