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Jim Thorpe Award 2009 Semi-Finalists

Photo - Taylor Mays - Southern Cal

The Jim Thorpe Award Screening Committee has announced 12 semi-finalists for the award given annually to the nation’s best college defensive back. This list will be narrowed again on November 23, to three finalists who will be invited to the nationally telecast Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on December 10. The winner will be announced on the show and the official presentation will be at a formal banquet in Oklahoma City on February 9, 2010. The 2009 award marks the 24th presentation of the trophy, first won in 1986 by Baylor’s Thomas Everett.
Frank Coyle has been a Jim Thoroe award voter for the past 15 years

Last year’s winner was Ohio State University’s Malcolm Jenkins, now playing for the New Orleans Saints. Jim Thorpe Award winners are selected for performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

The 2009 Jim Thorpe Semi-Finalists:

Javier Arenas, Sr., Alabama
Eric Berry, Jr., Tennessee
Barry Church, Sr., Toledo
Perrish Cox, Sr., Oklahoma State
Joe Haden, Jr., Florida
Brandon Harris, So., Miami (FL)
Taylor Mays, Sr., USC
Tyler Sash, So., Iowa
Darrell Stuckey, Sr., Kansas
Earl Thomas, So., Texas
Alterraun Verner, Sr., UCLA
Kyle Wilson, Sr., Boise State

The Screening Committee was allowed only 12 candidates on the semi-finalist list, but determined five additional outstanding players deserved recognition and were given honorable mention status. They are Kam Chancellor, Sr., Virginia Tech; Ras-I Dowling, Jr., Virginia; Brian Jackson, Sr., Oklahoma; Rahim Moore, So., UCLA; and DeAndre McDaniel, Jr., Clemson

The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the 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.

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Photo - DE Eric Norwood - South Carolina

2009 Mid Season All-American First Team

Pos/ Player/ Class/ School
Offense
QB Tim Tebow - Sr. - Florida
RB Noel Devine - Jr. - West Virginia
RB Mark Ingram - Jr - Alabama
RB C.J. Spiller - Sr - Clemson
WR Jordan Shipley - Sr - Texas
WR Golden Tate - Jr - Notre Dame
WR Mardy Gilyard - Sr - Cincinnati
TE Dennis Pitta - Sr. - BYU
OT Russell Okung - Sr. - Oklahoma St
OT Anthony Davis - Jr. - Rutgers
OG Mike Johnson - Sr. - Alabama
OG Jeff Byers - Sr. - USC
OC Maurkice Pouncey - Sr. - Florida

Defense
DE Eric Norwood - Sr. - South Carolina
DE Jerry Hughes - Sr. - TCU
DT Terrence Cody - Sr. - Alabama
DT Ndamukong Suh - Sr. - Nebraska
LB Brandon Spikes - Sr. - Florida
LB Sean Weatherspoon - Sr. - Missouri
LB Rolando McClain - Jr. - Alabama
LB Greg Jones - Jr - Michigan St
CB Joe Haden - Jr. - Florida
CB Perrish Cox - Sr. - Oklahoma St.
S Eric Berry - Jr - Tennessee
S Taylor Mays - Sr. - USC

Special Teams
K Leigh Tiffin - Sr. - Alabama
KR C.J. Spiller - Sr - Clemson
P Zoltan Mesko - Sr. - Michigan
PR Jordan Shipley - Sr. - Texas

John Mackey Midseason List

Photo - Dorin Dickerson - Pittsburgh

The 2009 John Mackey Award midseason watch list has been released by the Nassau County Sports Commission. Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2009 John Mackey winner will be announced on December 10, 2009. Other key dates include the announcement of the 2009 Mackey semi-finalists on November 16, 2009 and the announcement of the 2009 Mackey finalists on November 23, 2009.
Pittsburgh senior Dorin Dickerson, whose eight touchdown catches lead the entire country, has been named to the midseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, annually presented to the nation’s top tight end by the Nassau County Sports Commission.
Twenty-two players were named to the Mackey Award midseason list based on their performance during the first half of the 2009 season. Dickerson has enjoyed an exceptional campaign thus far with 27 receptions for 274 yards (10.1 avg.). His eight TD catches pace the Big East Conference and are tied for the national lead. He has scored at least one touchdown in five of Pitt’s seven games this year. He had a career-high three TDs in a 54-27 victory at Buffalo and two scores in the Panthers’ 35-10 win at Louisville. In Pitt’s dramatic come-from-behind 24-21win over Connecticut, he had a 27-yard TD catch that, following a 2-point conversion, tied the game at 21 with 7:35 left in the game. His TD helped wipe out a 15-point third-quarter deficit and set the stage for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
The 2009 John Mackey Award recipient will be selected by a vote of the award’s selection committee and announced on Dec. 10. Semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 16 and finalists on Nov. 23. Former Pitt tight end Kris Wilson, now a member of the San Diego Chargers, was a finalist for the John Mackey Award in 2003.
Pitt (6-1, 3-0 Big East) surged into the national polls this week, ranking No. 18 in Draft Insiders.com, #19 in the USA Today coaches poll and #20 by The Associated Press. The Panthers are No. 20 in the newly released Bowl Championship Series rankings. The Panthers will host Big East foe South Florida (5-1, 1-1) this Saturday at Heinz Field.

The John Mackey Award midseason watch list is an update from the preseason watch list. This list is meant to draw attention to tight ends in contention for the annual award based on their performance in the first half of the active season.

2009 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List

PLAYER / YR / SCHOOL
George Bryan - SO - NC St
Dorin Dickerson - SR - Pittsburgh
Ed Dickson - SR - Oregon
Charlie Gantt - JR - Michigan St
Riar Geer - SR - Colorado
Garrett Graham - SR - Wisconsin
Ladarius Green - SO - Louisiana
Aaron Hernandez - JR - Florida
Jeron Mastrud - SR - Kansas St
Anthony McCoy - SR - Southern Cal
Mike McNeil - JR - Nebraska
Kavario Middleton - SO - Washington
Tony Moeaki - SR - Iowa
Colin Peek - SR - Alabama
Dennis Pitta - SR - BYU
Andrew Quarless - JR - Penn St
Jesse Rack - SR - Buffalo
Kyle Rudolph - SO - Notre Dame
Weslye Saunders - JR - South Carolina
Cody Slate - JR - Marshall
Luke Stocker - JR - Tennessee
DJ Williams - JR - Arkansas

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Ruffin Heads Buchanan Award List

Photo - DE James Ruffin – Northern Iowa

The Buchanan Award is handed out annually to the best defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). James Ruffin of Northern Iowa is one of 20 players on the initial list and is the only player on both the Buchanan and Ted Hendricks Award lists. A total of 20 candidates have been announced for the Buchanan Award, in alphabetical order, over the past few months. The watch list will be revised in October and again in November, before the final ballot is announced.
Ruffin has been a mainstay at UNI since his freshman season. In 2008, as mentioned, the All-American and 1st team All-MVFC selection amassed a Missouri Valley-best 18 TFL, 10 sacks, 69 tackles, and 3 FF. He recorded a career-high eight tackles in an FCS semifinal game vs eventual national champion Richmond in 2008. As a sophomore, he tallied 7.5 TFL and 52 tackles to earn All-MVFC honors. During his freshman campaign, he fought his way onto the MVFC all-newcomer team while registering 26 tackles, 3 TFL and 3 PBU. In his first three seasons at UNI, he has totaled 147 tackles, 28.5 TFL, 13.5 sacks and three FF.

Preseason Buchanan Award Watch List:

Christian Anthony, DE, Grambling
Danny Batten, DE, South Dakota St
Tommy Connors, SS, Southeastern Louisiana
Dane Fletcher, DE, Montana St
Charles Graves, FS, Delaware
Larry Hart, DE, Central Arkansas
Brandin Jordan, LB, Southern Illinois
Austen Lane, DE, Murray St
Mark LeGree, FS, Appalachian St
Jeromy Miles, SS, Massachusetts
Josh Morris, CB, Weber St
Osayi Osunde, LB, Villanova
Justin Rogers, CB, Richmond
James Ruffin, DE, Northern Iowa

2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Photo - DE Eric Norwood - South Carolina

Six Football Writers Association of America All-Americans are among 62 players selected to the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Watch List, announced by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Included on the list are two past finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Texas Christian end Jerry Hughes and South Florida end George Selvie.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, an All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s.

Besides Hughes, a 2008 All-American, and Selvie, a 2007 All-American, other FWAA All-Americans from last season on the 2009 Watch List are Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry Alabama tackle Terrence Cody, USC defensive back Taylor Mays and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.

The Bronko Nagurski Watch List is fluid. Players may be added or removed during the season. After the first four games of the season, the FWAA will revise the list and at that time school sports information directors may submit names for players not on the list to the FWAA and their conference's FWAA All-America Committee representative.

2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Javier Arenas, DB, Alabama
Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
Kevin Basped, DE, Nevada
Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma
Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee
Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn St
Morgan Burnett, DB, Georgia Tech
Kam Chancellor, DB, Virginia Tech
Barry Church, DB, Toledo
Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
Kurt Coleman, DB, Ohio St
Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn
Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
Joe Haden, DB, Florida
Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss
Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU
Micah Johnson, LB, Kentucky
Greg Jones, LB, Michigan St
Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas
Brandon Lang, DE, Troy
Sean Lee, LB, Penn State
Mark LeGree, DB, Appalachian St
Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt
Trevard Lindley, DB, Kentucky
Taylor Mays, DB, USC
Rolondo McClain, LB, Alabama
Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Koa Misi, DE, Utah
Jerome Murphy, CB, USF
Andre Neblett, NT, Temple
Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina
Jared Odrick, DT, Penn St
Vince Oghobaase, DT, Duke

Biletnikoff '09 Award Watch List

WR Arrelious Benn - Illinois

Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn and Oklahoma St wideout Dez Bryant head a list 37 players nationally for the preseason watch list for the 2009 Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced this week. Both Benn and Bryant are talented underclassmen who have the big play ability to be difference makers this season. Bryant is coming off impressive ’08 performances and was the runner-up for the award last year when he was consensus 1st-team All-America honoree as a sophomore. He is coming off a sensational ‘08 campaign in which he made 87 catches for 1,480 yards. He ranked 2nd nationally with 19 touchdown receptions and was third nationally with 113.9 receiving yards per game. His 9.69 points per game ranked second in the country and his 17.94 yards per punt return placed him third in the nation.
The Biletnikoff Selection Committee will send out electronic ballots to voters. The first vote will determine the 10 semifinalists and will be announced on October 22. The 2nd vote will determine the top 3 finalists and will be announced on November 19th and the last vote to determine the recipient will take place on November 30th. All Voters for the Biletnikoff Award consist of Sports Writers who cover College Football on a National, Regional, or Conference Level, Past Award Winners of the Biletnikoff Award, and distinguished receivers of the past. The recipient of the 2009 Biletnikoff Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10th. The Biletnikoff Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the University Center Club at Florida St University in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The award is named for Fred Biletnikoff, the Florida St University All-America receiver and a Pro-Football Hall of Famer. The Biletnikoff Award has been given out for the past 15 years.

2009 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List

Kris Adams, UTEP
Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno St
Brandon Banks, Kansas St
Doug Beaumont, Louisville
Arrelious Benn, Illinois
Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma St

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”

DE George Selvie – South Florida

The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of thirty “players to watch” for its prestigious Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Alphonse Paolillo, Jr. said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
Six players on the 2009 watch list, including the 2008 Walter Camp Player of the Year Colt McCoy (QB, Texas), were named to last year’s Walter Camp All-America First Team. The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in early November. The 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 119 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on the ESPN SportsCenter on December 10. The winner will then receive his trophy at the annual national awards banquet on January 18, 2010 at Yale University in New Haven. Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.waltercamp.org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”
Jahvid Best, RB, Junior, California
Arrelious Benn, WR, Junior, Illinois
Eric Berry, DB, Junior, Tennessee - 2008 Camp 1st Team All-American
Sam Bradford, QB, Junior, Oklahoma - 2008 Camp 2nd Team All-American