2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Players to Watch” – Semifinalists
New Haven, Conn. – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of fifteen “Players to Watch” for its 2013 Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation.
Players from five of the top six teams in the most recent BCS standings are on the list, including quarterback A.J. McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley from top-ranked Alabama. Quarterbacks Jameis Winston from second-ranked Florida State and Braxton Miller from third-ranked Ohio State are on the list along with signal-callers Bryce Petty (Baylor) and Marcus Mariota (Oregon). The 15-player watch list includes 10 quarterbacks, three defensive players, one wide receiver and one running back. Thirteen different schools and eight conferences are represented on the list.
“It’s been another exciting college football season with many teams and players still in the hunt for national recognition,” Foundation president James Monico said. “We’ve identified some outstanding players and we know the final weeks of the regular season should be even more thrilling.”
A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, December 2.
The 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented on Thursday, December 12 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.
Former Notre Dame and current San Diego Chargers’ linebacker Manti Te’o was the 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year.
The 2013 winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. Sponsorships and tickets are available by calling (203) 288-CAMP.
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 – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation 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. Visit www.ncfaa.org.
2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Players to Watch”
ANTHONY BARR, Senior, LB, UCLA – Has recorded 13.0 tackles for loss, including six sacks, for the 7-2 Bruins.
TAJH BOYD, Senior, QB, Clemson – Has thrown for 2,620 yards and 20 touchdowns for the 8-1 Tigers.
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER, Junior, QB, Louisville – Has passed for 2,845 yards and 24 touchdowns for the 8-1 Cardinals.
KA’DEEM CAREY, Junior, RB, Arizona – Has rushed for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns for the 6-3 Wildcats.
DEREK CARR, Senior, QB, Fresno State – Has passed for 3,421 yards and 32 touchdowns for the 9-0 Bulldogs.
MIKE EVANS, Sophomore, WR, Texas A&M – Has caught 57 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns for the 8-2 Aggies.
JORDAN LYNCH, Senior, QB, Northern Illinois – Has 3,021 yards of total offense, including 12 rushing touchdowns, for the 9-0 Huskies.
JOHNNY MANZIEL, Sophomore, QB, Texas A&M – Second in the nation with 3,924 yards of total offense. Has thrown for 31 touchdowns for the 8-2 Aggies.
MARCUS MARIOTA, Sophomore, QB, Oregon – Has passed for 2,531 yards , 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions for the 8-1 Ducks.
AJ MCCARRON, Senior, QB, Alabama – Has thrown for 2,041 yards and 19 touchdowns for the top-ranked and undefeated Crimson Tide (9-0).
BRAXTON MILLER, Junior, QB, Ohio State – Averaging 246.6 yards of total offense for the third-ranked Buckeyes (9-0).
C.J. MOSLEY, Senior, LB, Alabama – Has totaled 71 tackles and six tackles for loss for the nation’s top-scoring defense (10.6 points allowed per game).
BRYCE PETTY, Junior, QB, Baylor – Has thrown for 2,657 yards and 21 touchdowns for the fifth-ranked Bears (8-0).
MICHAEL SAM, Senior, DE, Missouri – Has recorded 10 quarterback sacks for the 9-1 Tigers.
JAMEIS WINSTON, Freshman, QB, Florida State – Has passed for 2,661 yards and 26 touchdowns for the second-ranked Seminoles (9-0).