Michigan State Running Back Kenneth Walker III is the 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year
Michigan State junior running back Kenneth Walker III (Arlington, TN) has been selected as the 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year. The award was announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards show. The Walter Camp Player of Year is voted on by the nation’s 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.
Other finalists for the 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year award included quarterbacks Bryce Young (Alabama) and Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh) along with defensive players Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan) and Jordan Davis (Georgia).
Walker is the first Michigan State player to win the prestigious honor. He is the 25th running back to earn the award, and the first since Derrick Henry (Alabama) in 2015. Walker is also the 11th player from a Big Ten school to win the award since it began in 1967.
The Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year winner, Walker was named a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection. Walker ranks second in the nation and first among Power Five players at 1,636 rushing yards and 136.3 yards per game, and his 18 rushing touchdowns are eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision
He has led the nation in rushing for all but three weeks this fall and leads the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,154) and carries of 20-or-more yards (21). Walker has posted eight 100-yard rushing efforts, including a season-high 264 in a victory over Northwestern on September 3. He also scored a season-high five touchdowns in a win over Big Ten-rival Michigan on Oct. 30 and earned Walter Camp National Offensive Player of Week honors.
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 to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
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.
Walter Camp Players of the Year
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
777 Partners is the Presenting Sponsor of the Walter Camp College Football All-America Team
The Walter Camp Foundation is pleased to announce that Miami-based 777 Partners will be the presenting sponsor of the organization’s All-America teams.
The 132nd edition of the Walter Camp All-America team, the nation’s oldest college football All-America squad, will be announced Thursday, Dec. 9 during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.
The Walter Camp All-America team, first selected by Mr. Camp in 1889, is now voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches and sports information directors.
The 2021 Walter Camp All-Americans will be recognized at the Foundation’s annual awards weekend, which will be held Feb. 25-26 in New Haven, CT.
Foundation president Mario Coppola is pleased with the partnership. “We are delighted that 777 Partners, one of the nation’s fastest growing private investment firms, is partnering with the nation’s oldest and most prestigious All-America team in college sports. 777 Partners significant growth in sports and entertainment in recent years is impressive and provides endless opportunities for further collaboration and partnership with the Walter Camp Football Foundation.”
“We are so excited to partner with the Walter Camp foundation in presenting this year’s awards,” said Josh Wander, Founder of 777 Partners. “Walter Camp’s innovation in college football has had an immeasurable impact on the sport and is representative of the excellence both 777 Partners and the athletes that receive these awards aspire to achieve at our respective crafts.”
About Walter Camp Foundation
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 to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
777 Partners is a Miami based private investment firm that invests across a number of high growth attractive verticals with a strong focus on financial services.
Founded in 2015, 777 Partners initially applied its expertise in underwriting and financing esoteric assets to diversify across a broad spectrum of financial services businesses, asset originators, and financial technology/service providers. In recent years, the firm has broadened its mandate and now invests across six different industries: insurance, consumer and commercial finance, litigation finance, direct lending, sports, media and entertainment, and aviation.
Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces Five Finalists for 2021 Player of Year Award
Two quarterbacks, two defensive players and one running back are among the five finalists for the 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest college football honor. Georgia senior nose tackle Jordan Davis, Michigan senior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Pittsburgh senior quarterback Kenny Pickett, Michigan State junior running back Kenneth Walker III and Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young comprise the list.
The 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year recipient, who is voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on Thursday, December 9 on The Home Depot College Football Awards show.
Davis has led the top-ranked Georgia defensive unit, which has allowed a nation-low 6.92 points per game. Despite double and triple teams against him, Davis has recorded 24 total tackles, 3.5 for losses, and two quarterback sacks. Georgia opponents are averaging just 2.49 yards per carry, and the Bulldogs have surrendered two rushing touchdowns this season. Georgia (12-0) will face Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday.
Hutchinson has recorded 51 tackles (39 solo), including 14 for losses, and 12.5 quarterback sacks for the second-ranked Wolverines (11-1). His 3.5 sack effort in a win over Ohio State on November 27 earned him Walter Camp National Defensive Player of Week honors. The Big Ten Defensive Player of Year, Hutchinson has eight quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles for Michigan, who will face Iowa in the conference title game on Saturday.
Pickett has led Pittsburgh to a 10-2 record and a berth in this weekend’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Wake Forest. For the season, Pickett has thrown for 4,066 yards, which ranks fifth among all FBS quarterbacks, and 40 touchdowns. He has completed 67.7 percent of his passes (314-of-466). He threw for three or more touchdowns in a game eight times and passed for a season-high 519 yards against Miami on Oct. 30.
Walker has rushed for 1,636 yards, second among all FBS running backs, and 18 touchdowns for the 10-2 Spartans. Walker has posted eight 100-yard rushing efforts, including a season-high 264 in a victory over Northwestern on September 3. He also scored a season-high five touchdowns in a win over Big Ten-rival Michigan on Oct. 30 and earned Walter Camp National Offensive Player of Week honors.
Young has completed 68.9 percent of his pass attempts (288-of-418) for the 11-1 Crimson Tide, who will face Georgia in the SEC title game this weekend. For the season, Young has thrown for 3,901 yards and 40 touchdowns, including a season-high 559 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Arkansas on November 20 that earned him Walter Camp National Offensive Player of Week honors.
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
Michigan Duo — RB Hassan Haskins and DE Aidan Hutchinson — Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN
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 27.
About the Award: This is the 18th 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
HASSAN HASKINS, MICHIGAN
Senior, Running Back, St. Louis, MO/Eureka Senior
Hassan Haskins rushed for 169 yards (on 28 carries) and tied a Michigan single-game record with five touchdowns as the sixth-ranked Wolverines defeated second-ranked Ohio State 42-27. With the win, Michigan improved to 11-1, and clinched a spot in next weekend’s Big Ten championship game.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
AIDAN HUTCHINSON, MICHIGAN
Senior, Defensive End, Plymouth, MI/Divine Child
Aidan Hutchinson recorded seven tackles (5 solo), including three quarterback sacks, and one quarterback hurry as Michigan defeated second-ranked Ohio State, 42-27. Led by Hutchinson, the Wolverines held the Buckeyes to a season-low 64 yards rushing.
Notes: Hassan Hawkins and Aidan Hutchinson are the eighth and ninth Michigan players to earn Walter Camp National Defensive Player of Week honors since 2004, and the first since former Wolverine linebacker Chase Winovich (Sept. 23, 2017).
It is the second time since November 28, 2004 – former Syracuse wide receiver/ defensive back Diamond Ferri – that one school had both offensive and defensive Players of the Week.
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
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud and Alabama LB Henry To’o To’o Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN
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 20.
About the Award: This is the 18th 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
C.J. STROUD, OHIO STATE
RS Freshman, Quarterback, Inland Springs, CA/Rancho Cucamonga
C.J. Stroud passed for 432 yards and six touchdowns – all of which came in the first half – as fourth-ranked Ohio State defeated 7th-ranked Michigan State, 56-7. Stroud completed 32-of-35 passes for 432 yards, including a school record 17 consecutive pass completions. With the win, the Buckeyes improved to 10-1, 8-0 in the Big Ten.
Notes: C.J. Stroud is the 13th Ohio State player to earn Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors, and the first since former Buckeye defensive end Chase Young (Nov. 24, 2019).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
HENRY TO’O TO’O, ALABAMA
Junior, Linebacker, Sacramento, CA/De LaSalle
Henry To’o To’o recorded a game-high 13 tackles (8 solo), including three for losses, and two quarterback sacks as second-ranked Alabama defeated 21st-ranked Arkansas, 42-35. With the win, the Crimson Tide improved to 10-1, 8-1 in the SEC and earned a spot in the league’s title game on Dec. 4.
Notes: Henry To’o To’o earns Walter Camp National Defensive Player of Week honors for the second time this season (Oct. 17) and the 19th Alabama honoree since 2004.
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
Mississippi State QB Will Rogers and Georgia LB Channing Tindall Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN
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 13.
About the Award: This is the 18th 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
WILL ROGERS, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sophomore, Quarterback, Brandon, Miss./Brandon HS
Will Rogers threw for 415 yards (44-of-55) and six touchdowns as Mississippi State came-from-behind to defeat 17th-ranked Auburn, 43-34. Rogers completed passes to ten different receivers as the Bulldogs (6-4, 4-3 in SEC) became bowl eligible for the 12th straight season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CHANNING TINDALL, GEORGIA
Senior, Linebacker, Columbia, SC/Spring Valley HS
Channing Tindall recorded eight tackles and a career-best three quarterback sacks as top-ranked Georgia defeated SEC-rival Tennessee, 41-17. Georgia (10-0 overall) has posted a perfect 8-0 mark in the league for the first time in school history.
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
