Draft Insiders' Digest Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication
Walter Payton 2011 “Watch List”
RB Walter Payton - Bears (Jackson St.)
D.J. McNorton Named to Walter Payton Award Watch List
The Payton Award will celebrate its 25th anniversary this season and be presented to the FCS' outstanding player at the national awards banquet Thursday night, Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.
North Dakota State running back D.J. McNorton was named to the 2011 Walter Payton Award Watch List announced this summer. McNorton is one of 20 athletes on the Watch List for the FCS’s top individual honor. McNorton rushed for 1,559 yards on 280 carries during the 2010 season. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and ran for 15 TDs. He ranked 14th in rushing in the final NCAA FCS statistics, averaging 111.4 yards per game. He was also ranked 15th in scoring with 8.14 points per game and 18th in all-purpose yards with 144.21 yards per game. McNorton also caught 25 passes for 433 yards and four touchdowns. A 2010 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference second team selection, McNorton has been named 2011 Consensus Draft Services FCS Preseason Honorable Mention All-America and to the 2011 College Football Performance.com Running Back Watch List.
North Dakota State finished the 2010 season 9-5 and reached the NCAA Division I FCS quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Eastern Washington in overtime, 38-31.
NDSU opens the 2011 season against Lafayette College at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 in the Fargodome.
2011 Walter Payton Award Watch List
DeAndre Presley, Sr., QB, Appalachian St
DeNarius McGhee, So., QB, Montana St
Casey Therriault, Sr., QB, Jackson St
Mike Brown, Sr., QB, Liberty
B.J. Coleman, Sr., QB, Tenn-Chattanooga
Josh McGregor, Sr., QB, Jacksonville
Bo Levi Mitchell, Sr., QB, Eastern Washington
Tirrell Rennie, Sr., QB, Northern Iowa
Casey Brockman, Jr., QB, Murray St
Thomas DeMarco, Jr., QB, Old Dominion
Brad Sorensen, Jr., QB, Southern Utah
Nate Eachus, So., RB, Colgate
Jonathan Grimes, Sr., RB, William & Mary
Mike Mayhew, Sr., RB, North Carolina A&T
D.J. McNorton, Sr., RB, North Dakota St
Jamaine Cook, Jr., RB, Youngstown St
Andrew Pierce, So., RB, Delaware
Eric Breitenstein, Jr., FB, Wofford
Chris Summers, Sr., WR, Liberty
Brandon Kaufman, Jr., WR, Eastern Washington
2010 Home Depot College Football Awards
Announced on ESPN
Photo - CB Patrick Peterson - LSU
Frank Coyle Voting
Heisman Trophy - Cam Newton - Auburn
Bronko Nagurski Award - Nick Fairley - Auburn
Jim Thorpe Award - Patrick Peterson - LSU
Coach of Year - Gene Chizik - Auburn
Award - Winner-
Maxwell Award - Cam Newton - Auburn
O'Brien Award - Cam Newton - Auburn
Doak Walker Award - LaMichael James - Oregon
Fred Bilitnikoff Award - Justin Blackmon - Oklahoma St
John Mackey Award - D.J. Williams - Arkansas
Outland Trophy - Gabe Carimi - Wisconsin
Dave Rimington Award - Jake Kirkpatrick - TCU
Vince Lombardi Award - Nick Fairley - Auburn
Bronko Nagurski Award - Da'Quan Bowers - Clemson
Chuck Bednarik Award - Patrick Peterson - LSU
Dick Butkus Award - Von Miller - Texas A&M
Jim Thorpe - Patrick Peterson - LSU
Lou Groza Award - Dan Bailey - Oklahoma St
Ray Guy Award - Chas Henry - Florida
Eddie Robinson Award - Coach Chip Kelly
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
Da’Quan Bowers Wins Nagurski Award
Photo – DE Da’Quan Bowers – Clemson
Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers has been named the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Award. The honor is presented each year by the Football Writers Association of America and the Touchdown Club of Charlotte to the top defensive player in the nation.
Bowers is the first Clemson player to win a national award of this magnitude since 1982 when Terry Kinard was named the National Defensive Player of the Year.
The other finalists for the Nagurski Award were DT Nick Fairley of Auburn, LB Justin Houston of Georgia, LB Luke Kuechly of Boston College and CB Patrick Peterson of LSU.
Frank Coyle voted for Auburn’s DT Nick Fairley for the Nagurski Award.
"This is a great honor for Da'Quan," said Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney, who was the keynote speaker for the banquet. "He has had a terrific year, a dominant year. He has come to play every single game this year and is very deserving of this award."
Bowers led the nation in sacks with 15.5 and was second in tackles for loss with 25. His sack total is second in Clemson history for one season, best among defensive linemen and is the most by an ACC player since 1999 when Keith Adams had a Clemson record 16 sacks.
Bowers's tackle for loss total is the most by a Clemson defensive lineman since 1991 when Rob Bodine had 27. Bowers had a streak of nine straight games with a sack during this season, the longest streak in Clemson history. Last week, Bowers was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The junior is also finalist for the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award and Hendricks Award. Those announcements will come later this week.
Playing with a heavy heart following the deaths this year of his father, Dennis, and close friend Gaines Adams of the Chicago Bears, Bowers burst onto the scene this fall after two average seasons. The 6’4” 275 lbs. junior had shed 15 pounds and was performing well in preseason camp in August when his father collapsed while performing in his gospel band. Bowers was later visiting him in the hospital when his father suffered a seizure and died. Bowers spent two weeks away before rejoining the team.
Bowers wore Adams' old #93 this and had a sack in nine straight games, breaking Adams' record by a game. He's surpassed Adams' record for sacks by a defensive lineman and needs one sack when Clemson (6-6) meets South Florida (7-5) in the Meineke Bowl on Dec. 31 to break Keith Adams' overall school sacks record.
Bowers first met Adams when he attended a Clemson camp in the eighth grade. Adams would later set numerous Clemson records and was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy in 2006 before being a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following spring. Adams, who was later traded to Chicago, died in January of cardiac arrest. The autopsy report said he had an enlarged heart.
Bowers had tough competition for the Nagurski award named after the former Minnesota college star and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fairley has 10½ sacks and 21 tackles for a loss, Kuechly leads the country with 171 tackles, Houston has 10 sacks and 18½ tackles for a loss and Peterson has four interceptions.
Bowers' big season puts him among an elite group of past winners that includes Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Roy Williams, Glenn Dorsey, Brian Orakpo and Ndamukong Suh.
"It's incredible," Bowers said. "It's just an honor to be here in this situation."
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
Major 2010 Award Finalists
Photo – DT Nick Fairley - Auburn
Outland Trophy Finalist
Best Interior Linemen
Gabe Carimi - Wisconsin
Rodney Hudson - Florida St.
Nate Solder - Colorado
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
National Defensive Player of the Year Award
DE Da'Quan Bowers - Clemson
DT Nick Fairley - Auburn
LB Justin Houston - Georgia
LB Luke Kuechly - Boston College
CB Patrick Peterson - LSU
Chuck Bednarik Award
Best Defensive Player
Da'Quan Bowers - Jr. - Clemson
Nick Fairley - Jr. - Auburn
Patrick Peterson - Jr. - LSU
2010 Manning Award Finalists
Best QB for the 2010 Season
Andy Dalton - TCU
Colin Kaepernick - Nevada
Andrew Luck - Stanford
Ryan Mallett - Arkansas
Kellen Moore - Boise St
Cameron Newton - Auburn
Terrelle Pryor - Ohio St
Denard Robinson - Michigan
Darron Thomas - Oregon
Brandon Weeden - Oklahoma St
Maxwell Award
Best All-around Player
Andrew Luck - Jr. - Stanford
Kellen Moore - Jr. - Boise St
Cam Newton - Jr. - Auburn
Davey O’Brien Award
Best Quarterback
Andrew Luck - Jr. - Stanford
Kellen Moore - Jr. - Boise St
Cam Newton - Jr. - Auburn
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Best Senior Quarterback
Andy Dalton - TCU
Colin Kaepernick - Nevada
Christian Ponder - Florida St
Ricky Stanzi - Iowa
Scott Tolzien - Wisconsin
Doak Walker Award
Best Running Back
John Clay - Jr. - Wisconsin
Kendall Hunter - Sr. - Oklahoma St
LaMichael James - So. - Oregon
Biletnikoff Award
Best Receiver
Justin Blackmon - So. - Oklahoma St
Ryan Broyles - Jr. - Oklahoma
Alshon Jeffery - So. - South Carolina
Jim Thorpe Award Finalists
Best Defensive Back
Prince Amukamara - Nebraska
Tejay Johnson - Texas Christian
Patrick Peterson - Louisiana St
Butkus Award Collegiate Finalists
Best Linebacker
Akeem Ayers - UCLA
Bruce Carter - North Carolina
Justin Houston - Georgia
Luke Kuechly - Boston College
Von Miller - Texas A&M
Ted Hendricks Award
Defensive End of the Year Award
Da'Quan Bowers - Clemson
Adrian Clayborn - Iowa
Ryan Kerrigan - Purdue
Von Miller - Texas A&M
Jabaal Sheard - Pittsburgh
J.J. Watt - Wisconsin
Lott IMPACT Award Finalists
Sam Acho - Texas
Casey Matthews - Oregon
Patrick Peterson - LSU
J.J. Watt - Wisconsin
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
Seniors Head Jim Thorpe Award Finalists
Jim Thorpe - Olympic Decathlon Champion
The Jim Thorpe Award Screening Committee has announced three finalists for the 2010 Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the nation¹s best college defensive back. Texas Christian safety Tejay Johnson, Nebraska's cornerback Prince Amukamara and LSU's Cornerback Patrick Peterson, will be invited to Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for the Dec. 9 Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show. The winner will be announced that night with the official presentation made at a formal banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb. 7.
The Jim Thorpe Award is presented to the outstanding defensive back in college football – based on athletic ability, performance on the field and character.
Prince Amukamara, Nebraska Sr., CB, 6-1, 205
Tejay Johnson, Texas Christian Sr., S, 6-1, 212
Patrick Peterson, Louisiana State Jr., CB, 6-1, 211
GAMES TACKLES PASSES
Solo Asst Total Int Yds Ret. TDs Bknup
Amukamra 11 28 20 48 -0- -0- -0- 11
Johnson 11 32 22 54 3 50 1 3
Peterson 11 23 10 33 4 101 -0- 5
Prince Amukamara, Nebraska Sr., CB, 6-1, 205
Amukamara has 48 tackles and one quarterback sack this year. He has also has 11 passes broken up and is projected as a first round pick in next year’s NFL draft. He was honored as a member of Nebraska’s Brook Berringer Citizenship Team for his community outreach activities and is heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is on track to graduate in December in 3 1/2 years.
Tejay Johnson, Texas Christian Sr., S, 6-1, 212
Johnson is credited with 54 tackles, three interceptions, three passes broken up and three forced fumbles as the leader of the nation’s number one defense each of the last three seasons. He is considered the “anchor and glue” of the TCU defense and is entrusted with lining up everyone properly on each play. He mentors middle school kids, volunteers at a homeless shelter, participates in Big Brothers/Big Sisters events and is a member of TCU’s gospel choir.
Patrick Peterson, Louisiana State Jr., CB, 6-1, 211
Peterson has 33 tackles, four interceptions and five passes broken up and has returned punts and kickoffs for 688 yards and two touchdowns. He is rated a first round draft pick in the NFL, was an almost unanimous choice for preseason All-American teams and was on watch lists for the Thorpe Award, Nagurski Award, Bednarik Award, Lott Award and Walter Camp Award. He was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week for his performance against North Carolina and Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week against Mississippi State.
Frank Coyle will publish his Jim Thorpe vote next week. He has voted in this award for the past 15 years.
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
Five Finalists Named For The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Photo - QB Christian Ponder – Florida St.
The annual competition to select the top senior college quarterback in the nation has been narrowed from an original field of 22 to five finalists for the 2010 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Named after the man called by many the greatest quarterback ever to play football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior college quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and Transamerica.
Candidates for the 2009 Golden Arm Award
* Andy Dalton, TCU, who has led the Horned Frogs to an 11-0 record, passing for 23 TDs and amassing nearly 2,500 yards while compiling a QB efficiency rating of 163.9
* Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, who has completed 181 of 274 passes for 19 TDs and a 66.1 completion percentage
* Christian Ponder, Florida State, who has 17 TDs and 1,817 yards for the Seminoles. FSU is currently 8-3 with only the Florida game remaining.
* Ricky Stanzi, Iowa, who ranks sixth in Hawkeye history in career passing yards (4,373) and passing TDs (31)
* Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin, who holds school records for career completion percentage at .675 and career QB efficiency rating of 150.0 and ranks sixth all-time at Wisconsin with 28 career passing touchdowns, 4,681 passing yards, and 369 career completions.
The 2010 winner will be presented with the Golden Arm Award on Friday, December 10 at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility in Downtown Baltimore. Joining the evening's festivities will be a number of former Baltimore Colts teammates of Johnny Unitas, along with the standout center who snapped the ball to legendary quarterbacks Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas, Georgia State University Football Coach Bill Curry
Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been presented to some of college football's greatest quarterbacks, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers in the NFL. Former winners include Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Matt Leinart (USC, 2005), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), and Rodney Peete (USC, 1988).
"When you consider how many great college QBs have won the Golden Arm Award and have gone on to play in the NFL, it is clear that this award has become a significant barometer for future success in the professional ranks," says John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational
Foundation.
The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history which has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Unitas began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and played there 17 years until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures include completing 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 TDs. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, an NFL record.
Unitas was selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36-member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was honored as the GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Proceeds from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.
For more information, visit www.goldenarmfoundation.com
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
FWAA Announces Robinson Coaching Finalists
Photo - Coach Eddie Robinson - Grambling St.
The Football Writers Association of America, in conjunction with the Fiesta Bowl, has announced eight finalists for the 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The winner will be revealed on Dec. 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The FWAA coaching award is named after the late Eddie Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. He has more Division I victories (408) than any other coach in the history of college football. The FWAA has presented a national coach of the year award since 1957 and named the award in Robinson's honor in 1997.
Robinson passed away on April 3, 2007 after winning over 70 percent of his games during his illustrious career. Robinson's teams won or tied for 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships after joining the league in 1959. His Tigers claimed nine Black College Football Championships during his career spent all at the same school. The move to present this award in New York City is a natural. The Grambling Tigers, coached by Robinson from 1941-97, played numerous regular-season games at Yankee Stadium starting in the late 1960s and into the 1970s and then later at The Meadowlands in New Jersey. The Whitney Young Classic was an annual event at these stadiums where I got to know Eddie over a 20 year period. His accomplishments at Grambling are simply incredible. What people that did not know Eddie is that he was a special man and person with strong character and integrity that was instrumental in both his personal and coaching success. He produced countless NFL players including Hall of Fame players, receiver Charlie Joiner and defensive lineman Buck Buchanan among many other pro stars.
Eddie Robinson Coaching Finalists
Bret Bielema - Wisconsin
Gene Chizik - Auburn
Mark Dantonio - Michigan St.
Mike Gundy - Oklahoma St.
Jim Harbaugh - Stanford
Chip Kelly - Oregon
Gary Patterson - Texas Christian
Chris Petersen - Boise St.
The finalists were placed on a ballot to be electronically distributed to the entire 1,200-plus FWAA membership. Ballots will be accepted until midnight after games of Sat., Nov. 27. Prior to this year, the Eddie Robinson Award had been announced and presented at the site of the Bowl Championship Series title game in early January for several years.
Here is a look at the eight finalists:
* Wisconsin's Bret Bielema has the Badgers at 10-1 heading into the season finale against Northwestern on Saturday. Wisconsin has lost only to Michigan State this season and is still in contention for a berth to the Rose Bowl. The Badgers have won six straight conference games. Bielema is in his fifth season at Wisconsin.
* Auburn's Gene Chizik has a berth in the Southeastern Conference title game wrapped up no matter what the Tigers (11-0) do against Alabama on Friday. After spending two seasons as head coach at Iowa State, Chizik took over Auburn last season and posted an 8-5 record and a victory over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
* Michigan State's Mark Dantonio has overcome a heart attack this season to direct the Spartans to a 10-1 record with only a game remaining against Penn State on Saturday. The Spartans, locked in a three-way tie with Ohio State and Wisconsin for the Big Ten Conference lead, have lost only at Iowa this season.
* Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy has directed the Cowboys to the cusp of their first outright Big 12 South Division title and first 10-victory season. With a victory over Oklahoma this Saturday, the once-beaten Cowboys will win the South title outright and gain their first berth in a Big 12 title game in the final season it will be played.
* Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, in his fourth season at Stanford, has led the Cardinal to a 10-1 record with a game remaining against Oregon State on Saturday. This is Stanford's first 10-victory season since Bill Walsh went 10-3 in 1992 during his second stint as Stanford's head coach. A 48-14 Stanford victory over Cal on Saturday was the most lopsided in the series in 80 years.
* Oregon's Chip Kelly is a finalist for the second straight season as he has gotten his unbeaten Ducks to the No. 1 ranking in college football, just two victories away from a probable berth in the BCS title game. The Ducks (10-0) lead the country in scoring with 50.7 points per game. The Ducks have games remaining against Arizona and Oregon State.
* Texas Christian's Gary Patterson has led TCU (11-0) to within one game of its second straight unbeaten regular season, with only New Mexico left this Saturday. The Mountain West Conference champions have a great chance to appear in a BCS Bowl for the second straight season and an outside chance of making the BCS 1-2 game.
* Boise St's Chris Petersen keeps doing it for the Broncos with another Western Athletic Conference title in sight. This season the Broncos are 10-0 and likely headed to another BCS game if they can win their remaining two games against Nevada and Utah State. Boise State has the longest winning streak in college football (24 straight victories). This is the fourth time Petersen has been a finalist for the award. Of the eight finalists, only Patterson has previously won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. He collected it last season when the Horned Frogs put together their first unbeaten regular season since 1938. Patterson was also a finalist for the award in 2003.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
The Eddie Robinson 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, ncfaa.org.
Frank Coyle 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. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
