Running back Cam Edwards (Connecticut) and linebacker Kenny Soares, Jr. (North Carolina State) have been selected as Walter Camp’s 2025 Connecticut Players of the Year. The awards are presented to the top college football players who are residents and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut. The award is voted on by the Walter Camp Football Foundation all-volunteer membership.
Offense: Cam Edwards, Connecticut (Norwalk/Norwalk HS)
A redshirt junior, Cam Edwards led the Huskies with 1,240 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025. He also caught 19 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown as the Huskies finished 9-4 and earned a berth to the Wasabi Fenway Bowl against Army. In the bowl game, Edwards eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fifth time on the season, finishing with 108 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.
A resident of Norwalk, Edwards was a three-year starter at Norwalk High School when he totaled 2,349 career rushing yards. In his senior season, Edwards led the Bears to a 7-3 record and was named to the Walter Camp All-Connecticut Team.
Defense: Kenny Soares, Jr., North Carolina State (Trumbull, CT/Avon Old Farms)
A graduate student, Kenny Soares, Jr. finished second on the Wolfpack with 80 tackles in 2025 from his linebacker position.
Soares, Jr. recorded 4.0 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries and two pass breakups as North Carolina State recorded an 8-5 final record, including a 31-7 victory over Memphis in Gasparilla Bowl on December 19. In that bowl victory, Soares, Jr. recorded 12 tackles (5 solo), including one for a loss, and one quarterback hurry.
Soares, Jr. previously played three seasons at Northwestern. Soares, Jr. played scholastically at Avon Old Farms where he led the Winged Beavers to a New England Championship in 2021 and was named First-team All-New England and First team All-Founders League.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. 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.
2025 – Kenny Soars, Jr., LB, North Carolina State; Cam Edwards, RB, Connecticut
2024 – Justin Barron, LB, Syracuse; Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
2023 – Justin Barron, LB, 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
