Walter Camp Foundation Announces Fifteen “Players to Watch” for 2021 Player of the Year Award
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of fifteen “Players to Watch” for its 2021 Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation.
“It’s been another exciting college football season with many teams and players still in the hunt for national recognition,” Foundation president Mario Coppola said. “We’ve identified some outstanding players and we know the final weeks of the regular season should be even more thrilling.”
The 15-player watch list includes eight quarterbacks, four defensive players, two running backs and one wide receiver. Thirteen different schools and six conferences are represented on the list.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. A list of five finalists will be announced on Thursday, December 2, and the winner announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 9.
2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalists
Will Anderson, Alabama, LB
Matt Corral, Ole Miss, QB
Jordan Davis, Georgia, DL
Jahan Dotson, Penn State, WR
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, QB
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State, RB
Devin Lloyd, Utah, LB
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh, QB
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati, QB
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State, QB
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DL, Oregon
Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State, RB
Caleb Williams, Oklahoma, QB
Bryce Young, Alabama, QB
Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky
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
Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell and Appalachian State Steven Jones, Jr. 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 6.
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
AIDAN O’CONNELL, PURDUE
5th Year, Quarterback, Lake Grove, IL/Stevenson
Aidan O’Connell threw for 536 yards (40-of-54) and three touchdowns as Purdue defeated third-ranked Michigan State, 40-29. O’Connell’s 536 yards were the third-highest single-game total in Purdue history. With the win, the Boilermakers improved to 6-3, 4-2 in the Big Ten.
Notes: Aidan O’Connell is the sixth Purdue player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Year honors since 2004, and the first since former running back D.J. Knox (Oct. 20, 2018).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
STEVEN JONES, JR., APPALACHIAN STATE
Senior, Defensive Back, Rockingham, NC/Richmond Senior
Steven Jones, Jr. tied a school record with three interceptions, and ran back two of them for touchdowns (47 and 34 yards) as Appalachian State improved to 7-2 (4-1 in Sun Belt Conference) with a 48-14 victory over Arkansas State.
Notes: Steven Jones, Jr. is the first Appalachian State player to earn Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors.
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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 State RB Kenneth Walker III and Kansas State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN
Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman and Wisconsin LB Leo Chenal 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 October 23.
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
SAM HARTMAN, WAKE FOREST
RS Sophomore, Quarterback, Charlotte, NC/Oceanside Collegiate
Sam Hartman accounted for six touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) as 16th-ranked Wake Forest defeated Army, 70-56. Hartman threw for a career-best 458 yards (23-of-29) and tied a school-record with five passing scores, and rushed for 22 yards and one touchdown as the Demon Deacons remained unbeaten (7-0).
Notes: Sam Hartman is the first Wake Forest player to earn Walter Camp National Player of Week honorees since the award began in 2004.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LEO CHENAL, WISCONSIN
Junior, Linebacker, Grantsburg, WI/Grantsburg
Leo Chenal posted nine tackles (8 solo), including 5.5 for losses, and a career-best 3.5 quarterback sacks as Wisconsin defeated 25th-ranked Purdue, 30-13, on the road.
Notes: Leo Chenal is the seventh Wisconsin player to earn Walter Camp National Player of Week honors, and the first since former Badger linebacker T.J. Edwards (Nov. 29, 2017).
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
LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price 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 October 16.
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
TYRION DAVIS-PRICE, LSU
Junior, Running back, Baton Rouge, LA/Southern Lab
Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for a school record 287 yards (on 36 carries) and three touchdowns as LSU defeated 20th-ranked Florida, 49-42. Davis-Price scored on runs of 18, 40 and 25 yards.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
HENRY TO’O TO’O
Junior, Linebacker, Sacramento, CA/De LaSalle
Henry To’o To’o recorded a game-high 13 tackles (7 solo), including 1.5 for losses, as fifth-ranked Alabama defeated Mississippi State, 49-9. The Crimson Tide allowed just 299 yards of total offense, including -1 rushing yards.
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
Kentucky QB Will Levis and Arizona State DL Tyler Johnson 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 October 9.
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 LEVIS, KENTUCKY
Junior, Quarterback, Madison, CT/Xavier HS
Will Levis accounted for five touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) as 16th-ranked Kentucky defeated LSU, 42-21. Levis threw for 145 yards (14-of-17) and three scores, and rushed for 75 yards and two more touchdowns as the Wildcats remained unbeaten (6-0, 3-0 in SEC).
Notes: Will Levis joins teammate Jacquez Jones (Oct. 3, 2021) and former Wildcat linebacker Josh Allen (Nov. 4, 2018) as Walter Camp National Player of Week honorees since 2004 from Kentucky.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TYLER JOHNSON, ARIZONA STATE
Graduate Student, Defensive Line, Gilbert, AZ/Highland
Tyler Johnson recorded five tackles, including two for losses, and two quarterback sacks as 22nd-ranked Arizona State defeated Stanford, 28-10. Johnson also forced a fumble as the Sun Devil defense allowed just 13 rushing yards in the contest.
Notes: Tyler Johnson is the fifth Arizona State player to earn Walter Camp National Player of Week honors, and the first since teammate Jayden Daniels (Nov. 24, 2019).
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
