Six Owls Named to 2025 Hampshire Honor Society
4/21/2025 5:33:00 PM | Football
Banks, Francisco, Hargon, Hunt, Larbie and Sykes
Six Rice standouts are among a record 2,532 players from 339 schools who were named to the 2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which comprises college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
Brant Banks, Christian Francisco, Geron Hargon, Conor Hunt, Michael Larbie and Matt Sykes were honored for the consistent excellence in the classroom while also excelling on the field in competition.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Banks was a two-year starter for the Owls, first at guard and as a senior at tackle on the Owls' offensive line, making the start in 25 consecutive games. He posted a 3.551 GPA at Nebraska while earning a degree in Management and carried a 3.687 GPA in the Rice MBA program.
Francisco joined the Owls as a walk-on and battled back from several knee injuries while also completing his coursework in Mechanical Engineering and posting a 3.952 GPA. He became a standout on special teams and a regular contributor at running back in 2024 after recovering from another injury.
Hargon was a special-teams captain as a senior and three-year standout. He earned his undergraduate degree in Sport Management with a 3.38 GPA and carried a 3.81 GPA in the Rice MBA program.
Hunt transferred to Rice from Georgetown and took over as the Owls' primary punter for two seasons before becoming their short-yardage punt specialist in 2024. He carried a 3.257 GPA while majoring in Environmental Science.
Larbie transferred to Rice from Duke before the 2023 season and enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2024, setting career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks while pursuing his Master's in Biomedical Engineering with a 3.558 GPA.
Sykes became the Owls' top receiving threat in 2024, leading the team with 65 receptions, 782 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. His 65 receptions moved him into eighth on the Owls' single-season list. He carried a 3.881 GPA while pursuing a Master's of Global Affairs.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must meet one of the following criteria:
Brant Banks, Christian Francisco, Geron Hargon, Conor Hunt, Michael Larbie and Matt Sykes were honored for the consistent excellence in the classroom while also excelling on the field in competition.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Banks was a two-year starter for the Owls, first at guard and as a senior at tackle on the Owls' offensive line, making the start in 25 consecutive games. He posted a 3.551 GPA at Nebraska while earning a degree in Management and carried a 3.687 GPA in the Rice MBA program.
Francisco joined the Owls as a walk-on and battled back from several knee injuries while also completing his coursework in Mechanical Engineering and posting a 3.952 GPA. He became a standout on special teams and a regular contributor at running back in 2024 after recovering from another injury.
Hargon was a special-teams captain as a senior and three-year standout. He earned his undergraduate degree in Sport Management with a 3.38 GPA and carried a 3.81 GPA in the Rice MBA program.
Hunt transferred to Rice from Georgetown and took over as the Owls' primary punter for two seasons before becoming their short-yardage punt specialist in 2024. He carried a 3.257 GPA while majoring in Environmental Science.
Larbie transferred to Rice from Duke before the 2023 season and enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2024, setting career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks while pursuing his Master's in Biomedical Engineering with a 3.558 GPA.
Sykes became the Owls' top receiving threat in 2024, leading the team with 65 receptions, 782 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. His 65 receptions moved him into eighth on the Owls' single-season list. He carried a 3.881 GPA while pursuing a Master's of Global Affairs.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be a senior player graduating this spring/summer who completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2024; or
- Be a graduated player or grad transfer who has already earned a bachelor's degree and competed in the 2024 season (even if the player has remaining eligibility and may return to play next season).
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been a starter or contributor throughout the 2024 season.
Players Mentioned
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