Three members of top-ranked Alabama comprise the list of five finalists for the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2020 Player of the Year award.  Senior running back Najee Harris, junior quarterback Mac Jones, and senior wide receiver Devonta Smith are on the list along with Clemson junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Florida senior quarterback Kyle Trask.

The 2020 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on Thursday, January 7 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

Former LSU and current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was the 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year.

Harris was the MVP of the Southeastern Conference Championship game on Dec. 12, rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 67 yards receiving and three more touchdowns. Harris leads the nation in total touchdowns (27) and rushing touchdowns (24).  Harris ranks fourth in the nation with 1,262 rushing yards and has totaled 1,578 all-purpose yards in 2020, averaging 143.5 per game.

Jones is in his first full season as Alabama’s starting quarterback, leading the Crimson Tide to an 11-0 record and the SEC title. Jones has completed 250-of-327 passes for a nation-leading completion percentage of 76.5, while his passer rating of 202.3 also ranks first.  He has thrown for 3,739 yards (second-most in the nation) and 32 touchdowns (tied for third most). Jones has thrown for over 400 yards four times (the most in a career in Alabama history) and tossed four or more TDs six times.

Lawrence was named the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year while leading Clemson to the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. Lawrence became the first starting quarterback to win three ACC Championship Games.  Lawrence won all nine of his starts (he missed two games due to COVID protocols), completing 198-of-286 passes for 2,753 yards and a completion percentage of 69.2 with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. He finished the season with a passer rating of 172.7.

Smith was named the 2020 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, leading Alabama to the SEC title and the top seed in the CFP.  Smith leads the country with 98 receptions and 1,511 receiving yards while his 17 touchdown catches and 137.4 receiving yards per game are both second-best in the nation. He posted four games with 11 or more receptions, including a career-best and SEC title-game record 15 against Florida. He recorded seven games with over 100 yards receiving (all with at least 144 yards), including 231 yards on eight catches at LSU.

Trask holds national-best totals of 375.0 passing yards per game, 4,125 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes, 46 overall touchdowns and 285 completions.  His 186.65 passer rating is fifth-best nationally while his completion percentage of 69.7 is ninth best. Trask’s 43 touchdown passes are tied for the eighth-highest total through 11 games in FBS history while his 375.0 passing yards per game is currently third-best ever in SEC history. Trask became the first player in SEC history and the only FBS quarterback in the last 15 seasons to throw at least three TD passes in nine consecutive games.

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 continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org.

The Walter Camp Football 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. Visit www.ncfaa.org.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN, for games ending December 12.

About the Award: This is the 17^th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Foundation.

OFFENSIVE CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MICHAEL CARTER and JAVONTE WILLIAMS, NORTH CAROLINA

Michael Carter – Senior, Running Back, Navarre, FL/Navarre

Javonte Williams – Junior, Running Back, Wallace, NC/Wallace-Rose Hill HS

Michael Carter (24-308, 2 TD’s) and Javonte Williams (23-236, 3 TD’s) combined for a NCAA-record 544 rushing yards as 17^th-ranked North Carolina defeated 10^th-ranked Miami, 62-26.  It was the seventh time in NCAA history that two teammates rushed for 200+ yards in a game.   The Tar Heels improved to 8-3 with the victory.

Notes: Michael Carter and Javonte Williams are the fifth and sixth UNC players to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since 2004, and the third this season joining teammate Sam Howell (Nov. 15).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TALANOA HUFANGA, USC

Junior, Safety, Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley HS

Talanoa Hufanga registered 17 tackles (11 solo), including two for losses, forced one fumble and had one interception as 15^th-ranked USC (5-0) defeated UCLA, 43-38.  USC clinched the Pac-12 South Division title with the victory.

Notes: Talanoa Hufanga is the sixth USC player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since the award began in 2004, and the first since former QB Cody Kessler (Oct. 19, 2014).

Generation UCAN (@GenUCAN) is healthy sports nutrition powered by a unique, slow-burning carbohydrate called SuperStarch. UCAN’s drink mix provides steady energy, allows you to burn more fat for fuel during workouts, and helps you recover efficiently compared to sugary sports drinks or a high carbohydrate meal. UCAN contains no added sugars, no caffeine, and is gluten-free. SuperStarch was originally designed to help children who suffer from serious energy imbalances and now fuels some of the top athletes in the world – ranging from professional football players, to Olympic runners, to everyday athletes striving for fitness.  The UCAN Company is based Woodbridge, CT.  Visit www.generationucan.com for more information.  

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

The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN, for games ending November 28.

About the Award: This is the 17^th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Foundation.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JARET PATTERSON, BUFFALO

Junior, Running Back, Glendale, MD/ Saint Vincent Pallotti

Jaret Patterson rushed for 409 yards (the second-highest single-game total in FBS history) and tied a FBS record with eight rushing touchdowns as Buffalo defeated Kent State, 70-41.  Patterson averaged 11.8 yards per carry (36 carrries, 409 yards) and scored had four scoring runs of 30 or more yards as the Bulls improved to 4-0 with the victory.

Notes: Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson earns Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors for the second time (he was also honored on Dec. 1, 2019)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

NATE LANDMAN, COLORADO

Senior, Linebacker, Danville, CA/Monte Vista

Nate Landman recorded 11 tackles, including three quarterback sacks, as Colorado improved to 3-0 with a 20-10 victory over San Diego State.  Landman led the Buffs’ defense that held SDSU’s offense to just one field goal, 155 yards total offense.

Notes: Nate Landman is the second Colorado player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since 2004, joining former Buffs’ defensive back Terrence Wheatley(Oct. 28, 2007).       

Generation UCAN (@GenUCAN) is healthy sports nutrition powered by a unique, slow-burning carbohydrate called SuperStarch. UCAN’s drink mix provides steady energy, allows you to burn more fat for fuel during workouts, and helps you recover efficiently compared to sugary sports drinks or a high carbohydrate meal. UCAN contains no added sugars, no caffeine, and is gluten-free. SuperStarch was originally designed to help children who suffer from serious energy imbalances and now fuels some of the top athletes in the world – ranging from professional football players, to Olympic runners, to everyday athletes striving for fitness.  The UCAN Company is based Woodbridge, CT.  Visit www.generationucan.com for more information.  

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