Oregon freshman linebacker, a U.S. Army All-American from San Diego, is a finalist for the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's West Region Scholar-Athlete Award, the NFF announced Wednesday.The NFF will honor five regional Scholar-Athlete Award winners at its NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon in New York on Dec. 5. Niu was named one of seven finalists from the West Region after leading Madison High to a CIF Division 2-AA state championship last fall, and finishing his high school career with a cumulative GPA of 3.61.Niu was a consensus top-20 inside linebacker recruit in the country for 2017, and played in the 2017 Polynesian Bowl as well as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl."He plays the game like a scholar," UO head coachsaid. "Great kid, great player — the kind of guy we want here."Niu suited up for Oregon's season-opening win over Southern Utah but did not play, and he was not in pads for last week's win over Nebraska. But Taggart said Niu remains in consideration for playing time as a true freshman; he has practiced at times this fall with the No. 2 defense, and is also in contention for playing time on special teams.As a senior at Madison High in San Diego, Niu finished the year with 160 tackles, including 14 in the Warhawks' state championship game victory. He was named first-team all-CIF San Diego Section as a senior, and also as a junior, when Niu had 90 tackles.