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Home Depot College Football Awards Finalist
(listed alphabetically)
*2010 award winner
Photo - Safety Mark Barron - Alabama
Chuck Bednarik Award
College Defensive Player of the Year
Dont'a Hightower, Alabama
Tyrann Mathieu. LSU
Devon Still, Penn State
Biletnikoff Award
Nation's Most Outstanding Receiver
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State*
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
Robert Woods, USC
Butkus Award Finalists – Best Linebacker
• Lavonte David, Nebraska
• Dont’a Hightower, Alabama
• Jarvis Jones, Georgia
• Luke Kuechly, Boston College
• Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
• Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
Nation's Most Outstanding Placekicker
Randy Bullock, Texas A&M
Dustin Hopkins, Florida State
Caleb Sturgis, Florida
Ray Guy Award
Nation's Most Outstanding Punter
Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech
Steven Clark, Auburn
Jackson Rice, Oregon
John Mackey Award - Outstanding Tight End
Dwayne Allen of Clemson
Orson Charles of Georgia
Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame
Announced as finalists during The Home Depot College Football Awards Nomination Special.
Maxwell Award - College Player of the Year
Andrew Luck, Stanford
Kellen Moore, Boise State
Trent Richardson, Alabama
Bronko Nagurski Trophy - Defensive Player of the Year Award
announced by the Football Writers Association of America
Alabama safety Mark Barron
LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne
Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly
Illinois end Whitney Mercilus
Penn State tackle Devon Still
Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award
Nation's Best Quarterback
Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Case Keenum, Houston
Andrew Luck, Stanford
Outland Trophy Nation's Most Outstanding
Interior Lineman
David DeCastro, Stanford
Barrett Jones, Alabama
Devon Still, Penn State
Jim Thorpe Award - Nation's Most Outstanding Defensive Back
David Amerson, NC State
Mark Barron, Alabama
Morris Claiborne, LSU
Doak Walker Award
Nation's Most Outstanding Running Back
Montee Ball, Wisconsin
LaMichael James, Oregon*
Trent Richardson, Alabama
*2010 award winner
Additionally, the Rimington Award (most outstanding center) will be presented during The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show.
The University of Alabama football team was announced as this year's recipient of the Disney Sports Spirit
Award, given annually to the most inspirational figure or team in college football. Alabama was selected for its extraordinary efforts to help aid and rebuild the western Alabama region following last spring's devastating tornado. Long snapper Carson Tinker, who lost his girlfriend Ashley Harrison in the storm, will accept the award on behalf of the team at the award show.
2011 The Home Depot College Football Awards Highlights
* The Home Depot College Football Awards Roundtable Special, a discussion about the Heisman finalists and the year in college football, will begin at 5 p.m. on ESPNU on Thursday, Dec. 8
* The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show - hosted by Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi and Dari Nowkhah - will air at 8 p.m. on ESPNU and again after the show at 11 p.m.
* The Home Depot College Football Awards will feature the live presentation of the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contribution to College Football Award; The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award; The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team; the Disney Spirit Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.
National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA)
The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game.