Three former Walter Camp All-Americans were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 8.

Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh, 2003 Walter Camp Player of Year/First Team All-American

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the first sophomore the Walter Camp Player of the Year award in 2003.  Fitzgerald was virtually unstoppable in 2003 during his sophomore campaign, compiling 92 catches for 1,672 yards (18.2 avg.) and 22 touchdowns.

The third overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, Fitzgerald spent his entire 17-year pro career with the Arizona Cardinals (2004-20). An 11-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL 100 All-Time Team, he ranks second in NFL history in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432). In 2018, Fitzgerald was named as the Walter Camp Alumni Award winner.  

Luke Kuechly, Boston College, 2010 and 2011 First Team All-American

Luke Kuechly concluded his career at Boston College as one of the most accomplished defensive players in college football history. In 38 career games, including 37 starts, he amassed an ACC and school-record 532 total tackles, the second-highest total in NCAA history. As a junior in 2011, Kuechly earned the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player, the Butkus Award as the nation’s outstanding linebacker and the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman or linebacker.

In eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Kuechly was a seven-time All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl runner-up. He was named to the All-Decade team for the 2010s.  Kuechly led the NFL in tackles in 2012 as a rookie with 202 stops, a Panthers franchise record, and again in 2014. In addition, Kuechly won the Butkus Award given to the NFL’s top linebacker three times in his career (2014, 2015, 2017) and received the Art Rooney Award for sportsmanship in 2017. 

Drew Brees, Purdue, 1999 and 2000 Second Team All-American

At Purdue, Drew Brees led the Boilers to their second-ever Rose Bowl to close out the 2000 season. He was an Academic All-American as a senior, as well as the 2000 Maxwell Award winner (nation’s most outstanding player). His name tops numerous career passing categories in Purdue’s record book: yards, completions, attempts and touchdowns.

The San Diego Chargers selected Brees in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. His career started slowly, finally gaining some momentum in 2004, when he earned the 2004 AP Comeback Player of the Year award, PFWA Most Improved Player of the Year award and a Pro Bowl invitation.  After joining the New Orleans Saints in 2006, Brees began to flourish. Over the next 15 seasons, he led the league in passes completed and passing percentage (including five seasons in excess of 70.6 percent). He led the NFL in passing yards seven times and tallied five seasons in which he exceeded 5,000 yards passing. In the 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 seasons, Brees led the league in passing touchdowns.

Throughout the course of his 20-season career, Brees accumulated 80,358 yards passing and 571 passing touchdowns — both second all time for NFL quarterbacks.  His on-field efforts led to 13 Pro Bowl selections, AP first-team All-Pro recognition (2006), two AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards (2008, 2011), and a Super Bowl XLIV title and MVP award. In 2009, Brees earned the Bert Bell Award as the NFL Player of the Year.

The 2026 Walter Camp Player of Year Watch List will be unveiled on Monday, August 17 as part of annual National College Football Awards Association preseason rollout.

2026 Preseason Watch List Calendar

The Walter Camp Player of Year award is the nation’s fourth-oldest college football award, first awarded in 1967.

Former Indiana quarterback (and current Las Vegas Raider) Fernando Mendoza was the 2025 Walter Camp Player of Year.

Walter Camp Player of Year Facts

• First awarded in 1967, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza was the 59^th recipient of the Walter Camp Player of Year award.
• Mendoza was the 24^th quarterback to win the award. There have been 25 running backs, five wide receivers, one wide receiver/defensive back, one tight end and three defensive players.
• Colorado’s Travis Hunter (2024) was the first two-way player to win the award.
• Three players – USC’s OJ. Simpson (1967, 1968), Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974, 1975) and Texas’ Colt McCoy (2008, 2009) have been multiple winners.
• Three defensive players have won the award – Pittsburgh’s Hugh Green (1980), Michigan’s Charles Woodson (1997) and Notre Dame’s Manti Teo (2012).
• Players from 26 different schools have earned the award. USC has won the most Player of Year awards (7), followed by Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame with four each.

Walter Camp Players of the Year (1967-2025)

2025 – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

2024 – Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Colorado

2023 – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

2022 – Caleb Williams, QB, USC

2021 – Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State

2020 – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

2019 – Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

2018 – Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

2017 – Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

2016 – Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

2015 – Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

2014 – Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

2013 – Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

2012 – Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame

2011 – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2010 – Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

2009 – Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

2008 – Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

2007 – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

2006 – Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State

2005 – Reggie Bush, RB, USC

2004 – Matt Leinart, QB, USC

2003 – Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh

2002 – Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State

2001 – Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska

2000 – Josh Heupel, QB, Oklahoma

1999 – Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin

1998 – Ricky Williams, RB, Texas

1997 – Charles Woodson, DB, Michigan

1996 – Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida

1995 – Eddie George, RB, Ohio State

1994 – Rashaan Salaam, RB, Colorado

1993 – Charlie Ward, QB, Florida State

1992 – Gino Torretta, QB, Miami

1991 – Desmond Howard, WR, Michigan

1990 – Raghib Ismail, WR, Notre Dame

1989 – Anthony Thompson, RB, Indiana

1988 – Barry Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State

1987 – Tim Brown, WR, Notre Dame

1986 – Vinny Testaverde, QB, Miami

1985 – Bo Jackson, RB, Auburn

1984 – Doug Flutie, QB, Boston College

1983 – Mike Rozier, RB, Nebraska

1982 – Herschel Walker, RB, Georgia

1981 – Marcus Allen, RB, USC

1980 – Hugh Green, DE, Pittsburgh

1979 – Charles White, RB, USC

1978 – Billy Sims, RB, Oklahoma

1977 – Ken MacAfee, TE, Notre Dame

1976 – Tony Dorsett, RB, Pittsburgh

1975 – Archie Griffin, RB, Ohio State

1974 – Archie Griffin, RB, Ohio State

1973 – John Cappelletti, RB, Penn State

1972 – Johnny Rodgers, RB, Nebraska

1971 – Pat Sullivan, QB, Auburn

1970 – Jim Plunkett, QB, Stanford

1969 – Steve Owens, RB, Oklahoma

1968 – O.J. Simpson, RB, USC

1967 – O.J. Simpson, RB, USC

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.   The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients dating back to 1935.