The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of forty-five “players to watch” for its 2023 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams was the 2022 Walter Camp Player of Year.  Williams headlines the 2023 watch list, which includes 38 offensive players (20 quarterbacks, 11 running backs, five receivers/tight ends and two offensive lineman) along with seven from the defensive side of the ball. 

Players from 35 different schools representing 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the preseason watch list.   Ohio State has four players on the watch list, while eight schools (Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and Washington) each have two.

“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Tony Mortali said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”

The 2023 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November.  The 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 133 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show in December.  The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 57th annual national awards banquet in New Haven, Conn in early 2024.

Please note: Appearing on the preseason Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-America team.

2023 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch  

Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin

Joe Alt, OL, Notre Dame

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Chevan Cordiero, QB, San Jose State

Dontay Corleone, DL, Cincinnati

Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas

Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State

Samson Evans, RB, Eastern Michigan

Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Olu Fashanu, OL, Penn State

Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma

Frank Gore, Jr., RB, Southern Miss

Taylen Green, QB, Boise State

Frank Harris, QB, UTSA

Marvin Harrison, Jr., WR, Ohio State

Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ole Miss

Jaylin Lucas, RB/KR, Indiana

Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

Kool-Aid McKinstry, DB, Alabama

Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee

Jer’Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois

Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

Jaydn Ott, RB, California

Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington

Harold Perkins, LB, LSU

Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane

Will Rogers, QB, Mississippi State

Austin Reed, QB, Western Kentucky

Kurtis Rourke, QB, Ohio

Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas 

Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State

Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State

Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Clemson

Jared Verse, DE, Florida State

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

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.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.