Fifteen Named as “Players to Watch” for 2015 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award

The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of fifteen “Players to Watch” for its 2015 Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation.

WCFF Player of the Year Semifinalists – 2015

“It’s been another exciting college football season with many teams and players still in the hunt for national recognition,” Foundation president Robert Kauffman said. “We’ve identified some outstanding players and we know the final weeks of the regular season should be even more thrilling.”

The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the 129 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.   A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, December 2, and the winner broadcast live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 10.

Players from the top seven teams in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings are on the list, including quarterback Deshaun Watson from top-ranked Clemson (10-0). Running backs Derrick Henry from second-ranked Alabama (9-1) and Ezekiel Elliott from third-ranked Ohio State (10-0) are on the list.

The 15-player watch list includes five quarterbacks, five running backs, three wide receivers, and two defensive players. Fourteen different schools and seven conferences are represented on the list.

The 2014 Walter Camp Player of the Year was former University of Oregon and current Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.

2015 Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalists

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU, Senior – Has passed for 3,427 yards and 29 touchdowns for 9-1 Horned Frogs

Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor, Junior – Has 61 receptions for 1,229 and 20 touchdowns for 8-1 Bears.

Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State, Sophomore – Has rushed for 1,369 yards and 14 touchdowns for 8-2 Seminoles

Josh Doctson, WR, TCU, Senior – Has 79 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns for 9-1 Horned Frogs

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State, Junior – Has rushed for 1,425 yards and 16 touchdowns for 10-0 Buckeyes.

Luke Falk, QB, Washington State, Sophomore – Has passed for 4,067 yards and 35 touchdowns for 7-3 Cougars

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU, Sophomore – Has rushed for 1,474 yards and 17 touchdowns for 7-2 Tigers

Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame, Junior – Has 47 receptions for 937 yards and 12 touchdowns for 9-1 Fighting Irish

Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama, Junior – Has rushed for 1,458 yards and 19 touchdowns for 9-1 Crimson Tide

Desmond King, DB, Iowa, Junior – Leads nation with eight interceptions for the 10-0 Hawkeyes

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma, Junior – Has passed for 3,082 yards and 31 touchdowns for 9-1 Sooners

Christian McCaffrey, RB/KR, Stanford, Sophomore – Leads nation with 2,418 all-purpose yards for the 8-2 Cardinal

Emmanuel Ogbah, DL, Oklahoma State, Junior – Has 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback sacks for 10-0 Cowboys

Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy, Senior – Has 1,525 yards of total offense, including 17 rushing touchdowns for 9-1 Midshipmen

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson, Sophomore – Has 3,191 yards of total offense and 28 touchdowns for 10-0 Tigers

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 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. For more information, visit the association’s website, www.ncfaa.org

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