Berrios in mix for academic honor

CORAL GABLES — Hurricanes receiver Braxton Berrios has been one of Miami’s top performers this season — on the field and in the classroom.

On Wednesday, the senior was named one of 13 finalists for the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy, which is given annually to college football’s premier scholar-athlete and is known as the “Academic Heisman.”

As a finalist, Berrios — a finance and entrepreneurship major with a 3.96 GPA — will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. If he wins the award next month, that scholarship will increase to $25,000.

“It’s incredible. It’s a really prestigious award, and when I found out this summer that I was going to be nominated from Miami, that was cool. Then I found out I was a semifinalist and that was a little bit better,” Berrios said. “Then I found out Saturday night when I returned home [I was a finalist] … I’ve known for a few days and I’ve had to keep it hush-hush. But it’s really an honor.”

With his performance this season, he likely has improved his stock as an NFL draft prospect.

Along with his team-high 415 receiving yards, Berrios is among the nation’s top six punt-returners, averaging 16.3 yards per return.

“We’ll find out. I’m not really worried about that at all,” Berrios said of his post-football career. “I think doors open when they need to. Right now, I’m not thinking about after football.”

Next game: No. 10 UM vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech, Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC

Christy Cabrera Chirinos