Walter Camp Foundation Announces 2019 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List

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The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of forty “players to watch” for its 2019 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. 

Ten players on the 2019 watch list, including the 2018 Player of the Year Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors.  Tagovailoa was a First Team All-American last season along with his teammate, wide receiver Jordy Jeudy, and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.   Defensive back Grant Delpit (LSU) was also a First Team All-America honoree last season.

There are 30 offensive players (16 quarterbacks, seven running backs and seven receivers/tight ends) on the preseason watch list along with 10 from the defensive side of the ball.  

In all, 35 schools and 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the list with Alabama having four players on the list.  Defending national champion Clemson has three players on the watch list, while Oregon has two.

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

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November.  The 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 12.  The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 53rd annual national awards banquet on January 18, 2020 in New Haven, Conn.

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.

2019 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch   

Eno Benjamin, RB, Junior, Arizona State

Ian Book, QB, Senior, Notre Dame

Matt Bushman, TE, Junior, BYU

Andre Cisco, DB, Sophomore, Syracuse        * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

Grant Delpit, DB, Junior, LSU                       * 2018 Walter Camp 1st Team All-American

AJ Dillon, RB, Junior, Boston College

Sam Ehlinger, QB, Junior, Texas

Travis Etienne, Junior, Clemson                     * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

Mason Fine, QB, Senior, North Texas

Paddy Fisher, LB, Junior, Northwestern

Jake Fromm, QB, Junior, Georgia

Jonathan Garvin, DE, Junior, Miami Fla.

Richie Grant, S, Junior, UCF

Bryce Hall, DB, Senior, Virginia                    * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

Najee Harris, RB, Junior, Alabama

Justin Herbert, QB, Senior, Oregon

Lavert Hill, DB, Senior, Michigan

Kelvin Hopkins, QB, Senior, Army

Jalen Hurts, QB, Senior, Oklahoma

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Junior, Alabama                 # 2018 Walter Camp 1st Team All-American

D’Eriq King, QB, Senior, Houston

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Sophomore, Clemson

Jordan Love, QB, Junior, Utah State

Adrian Martinez, QB, Sophomore, Nebraska

Kellen Mond, QB, Junior, Texas A&M

Rondale Moore, WR, Sophomore, Purdue

Dylan Moses, LB, Junior, Alabama                * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

Zach Moss, RB, Senior, Utah

Jared Pinkney, TE, Senior, Vanderbilt

Jalen Reagor, WR, Junior, TCU

Nathan Rourke, QB, Senior, Ohio

Laviska Shenault, WR, Junior, Colorado

Nate Stanley, QB, Senior, Iowa

D’Andre Swift, RB, Junior, Georgia

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Junior, Alabama            # 2018 Walter Camp 1st Team All-American

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Junior, Wisconsin         # 2018 Walter Camp 1st Team All-American

Xavier Thomas, DE, Sophomore, Clemson

Zac Thomas, QB, Junior, Appalachian State

Tylan Wallace, WR, Junior, Oklahoma State      * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

Kenny Willekes, DL, Senior, Michigan State      * 2018 Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American

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; @WalterCampFF) – 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 Foundation  is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.

52nd Walter Camp Weekend a Success!

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Thank you to all who attended, supported, sponsored and participated in Walter Camp’s 52nd annual Awards Weekend in New Haven, CT, which culminated with the National Awards Dinner, presented by David McDermott Lexus of New Haven, on Saturday evening, Jan. 12 at Yale’s Lanman Center.

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Clemson Equipment Manager David Saville Named Walter Camp “American Hero”

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Despite being born with Down syndrome, David Saville is an integral part of Clemson’s national-championship football program, serving as an equipment manager. He is a graduate of He ClemsonLIFE post-secondary program.

Saville is the recipient of the Walter Camp American Hero Award.  Saville is the fifth recipient of the award, joining Noah Aldrich (2017), Sandra Adams (2016), Frank Hall (2015) and former Clemson wide receiver Daniel Rodriquez (2014).

David graduated from Norcross (S.C.) High School in 2008. Among his many other school activities such as Drama Club, being named Homecoming King in 2008 and participating in Special Olympics basketball, track and bowling during his high school years, he also served as Varsity football manager for five years, a job that he truly loved. He was named “Football Manager of the Year” twice.

Having been a Boy Scout since he was 11, David became an Eagle Scout in 2007 at age 17 after working long and hard to complete all of the requirements. In 2008, he was a recipient of the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities Outstanding Achievement Award. David was also featured in a TV episode of “Aarons Outdoors” where he went wild boar hunting in south Georgia and harvested a 350-lb. hog with a Marlin lever-action .450.

Alabama’s Nick Saban Named 2018 Walter Camp Coach of the Year

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Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, is the Walter Camp 2018 Coach of the Year.  The Walter Camp Coach of the Year is selected by the nation’s 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.

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Walter Camp All-Connecticut Teams Announced; 12th Annual Breakfast of Champions is January 12

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As part of its 52nd annual Weekend festivities, the Walter Camp Football Foundation will host its 12th High School “Breakfast of Champions,” presented by Town Fair Tire and NFP Sports, on Saturday, January 12 at The Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. The four Connecticut high school 2018 state champions – Greenwich (Class LL), Daniel Hand of Madison (Class L), St. Joseph of Trumbull (Class M) and Bloomfield (Class S) – will be recognized.  In addition, members of the 2018 Walter Camp All-Connecticut Teams (1st and 2nd) will be recognized.

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2018 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

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Quarterback Devlin Hodges (Samford) headlines the 2018 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America team. Hodges passed for 4,283 yards and 32 touchdowns for the Bulldogs this fall.  The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Football Championship Subdivision schools and certified by the accounting and auditing firm, Marcum LLP.

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NFL Standout Larry Fitzgerald Named Walter Camp Alumni Award Recipient

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2003 Walter Camp Player of the Year and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (University of Pittsburgh/Arizona Cardinals) is the recipient of the 2018 Walter Camp “Alumni Award.”  Fitzgerald joins a distinguished list of former “Alumni Award” winners, including Alan Page (Notre Dame), Bo Jackson (Auburn), Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), Herschel Walker (Georgia), Mark May (Pittsburgh), Tim Brown (Notre Dame), Doug Williams (Grambling State) and last year’s recipient Eddie George (The Ohio State University).

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Greenwich High School to Receive Walter Camp’s 2018 “Joseph W. Kelly” Award

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The Greenwich Cardinals, the Class LL state champion and No. 1 team in the state’s high school football season-ending polls, is the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s choice to receive the 2018 Joseph W. Kelly Award.  The Kelly Award is presented annually to Connecticut’s top high school football team.

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Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 All-America First and Second Teams

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Led by 2018 Player of the Year Tua Tagovailoa, top-ranked Alabama has six players on the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Teams, the 129th honored by the organization.  The nation’s oldest All-America squad was announced on The Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards Show.

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University of Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year

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University of Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) has been selected as the 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year.   The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the nation’s 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.

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