Two former Suffield Academy products – defensive back Justin Barron and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke – have been selected as Walter Camp’s 2023 Connecticut Players of the Year.

The award is presented to the top college football player who is a resident and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut. The award is voted on by the Walter Camp Football Foundation membership.

Defense:  Justin Barron, Defensive, Syracuse University (Rocky Hill, CT/Suffield Academy)

The captain of the Orange defensive unit, Barron earned Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after registering a team-best 90 tackles in 2023 from his rover position.  Barron recorded five tackles for loss, one interception and broke up seven passes as Syracuse finished with a 6-7 record and earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Barron’s best game came on November 25 when he posted eight tackles in a win against Wake Forest.

He has appeared in 49 games with 34 starts at defensive back in his collegiate career, and ranks 15th in program history for tackles by a defensive back (201).

 

Offense: Tyler Van Dyke, Quarterback, University of Miami (Glastonbury, CT/Suffield Academy)

Van Dyke, who also earned Connecticut Player of Year honors in 2021, had an outstanding season in 2023.   He completed 219-of-333 passes (65.8%) for 2,703 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Hurricanes, who finished 7-6 and earned a spot in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

Van Dyke’s best game came on Nov. 24 in a win over Boston College when he

completed 23-of-36 for 290 yards and two touchdowns.

In three collegiate seasons, Van Dyke threw for 7,478 yards and 54 touchdowns.  In December, Van Dyke transferred to the University of Wisconsin and will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Barron and Van Dyke each played scholastically for head coach Anthony Gamere at Suffield Academy.   Both were instrumental as the 2019 team had an undefeated season and captured the NEPSAC Class A Championship.

Barron and Van Dyke will be honored, along with the members of the 2023 Walter Camp All-America Team, Player of Year Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Coach of Year Kalen DeBoer (Washington… now at Alabama) at the Foundation’s 57th National Awards Gala on Saturday, March 16 in New Haven.   National Awards Gala tickets are $350 and available at https://waltercamp.org/product/awards-dinner/

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 to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.  Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.

 

Connecticut Player of the Year

Presented to the top college football player who is a resident and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut. The award is voted on by the Walter Camp Football Foundation membership.

2023 – Justin Barron, DB, Syracuse; Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (Wisconsin)

2022 – Drew Pyne, QB, Notre Dame (Arizona State)

2021 – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky; Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami

2020 – Andrew Stueber, OL, Michigan

2019 – Christian Montano, C, Tulane

2018 – Zach Allen, DE, Boston College

2017 – Ervin Philips, WR, Syracuse

2016 – Noel Thomas, WR, Connecticut

2015 – Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple

2014 – Tyler Murphy, QB, Boston College

2013 – Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB, Boston College

2012 – Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State

2011 – Silas Redd, RB, Penn State

2010 – John Moffitt, OL, Wisconsin

2009 – Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida

2008 – Kory Sheets, RB, Purdue

2007 – Mike McLeod, RB, Yale

2006 – Kory Sheets, RB, Purdue

2005 – John Sullivan, C, Notre Dame

2004 – Anttaj Hawthorne, DT, Wisconsin; Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut

2003 – Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut

2002 – Niko Koutouvides, LB, Purdue

2001 – Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse

2000 – Peter Mazza, LB, Yale

1999 – Bobby Myers, DB, Wisconsin

1998 – Carl Bond, RB, Connecticut

1997 – Kyle McIntosh, RB, Syracuse

1996 – Tarek Salah, LB, Wisconsin

1995 – Tarek Salah, LB, Wisconsin

1994 – Jason Miska, LB, Auburn

1993 – Chris Zingo, LB, Cornell

1992 – Curtis Eller, LB, Villanova

1991 – Corey Vincent, DL, Holy Cross

1990 – Rob Thomson, DB, Syracuse

1989 – Terry Wooden, LB, Syracuse

1988 – Glenn Antrum, WR, Connecticut

1987 – Bill Romanowski, LB, Boston College

1986 – Richard Comizio, RB, Pennsylvania

1985 – Tom Patton, DE, Holy Cross

1984 – No recipient

1983 – Steve Young, QB, Brigham Young

1982 – Mike Marshall, DB, Southern Conn.

1981 – Richard Diana, RB, Yale

 

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