Arkansas picked up a big win Saturday, beating Florida 31-10 to pick up its sixth win over the season and become bowl eligible. While the loss hurt the Gators, they still remain in first place in the SEC East and alive for an SEC title.
Both teams also have players worthy of admiration for what they do off the field, and this week we honor two of them.
Arkansas senior linebacker Brooks Ellis has a cumulative GPA of 3.82 while majoring in pre-professional exercise science (where he has a 4.0 GPA) and minoring in biology (a 3.97 GPA). Ellis has been named to the SEC's academic honor roll three times, and he's been a two-year captain for the Razorbacks. On track to graduate in December, Ellis plans to pursue a post-graduate degree in medicine.
Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio is the other of the two players honored this weekend. Del Rio has a 3.16 GPA as a youth and community sciences major at Florida, where he is currently taking 16 credit hours to make sure the fourth-year transfer (redshirt sophomore in terms of playing eligibility) graduates on time. According to the school, Del Rio volunteers at two local schools in Gainesville and the UF Shands Hospital.