Rocky Hill’s Justin Barron and New Haven’s Tyler Booker Named Walter Camp 2024 Connecticut Players of the Year
Linebacker Justin Barron (Syracuse) and offensive tackle Tyler Booker (Alabama) – have been selected as Walter Camp’s 2024 Connecticut Players of the Year.
The award is presented to the top college football player who is a resident and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut. The award is voted on by the Walter Camp Football Foundation membership.
Defense: Justin Barron, Linebacker, Syracuse University (Rocky Hill, CT/Suffield Academy)
A repeat winner of the Connecticut Player of the Year, Justin Barron was the captain of the Orange defensive unit and earned Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after registering a team-best 86 tackles in 2024 from his linebacker position. Barron recorded 8.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks and one interception as Syracuse recorded a 9-3 record (5-3 in the ACC) and earned a berth in the DirectTV Holiday Bowl against Washington State on December 27.
Barron has appeared in 61 games in his collegiate career, and has recorded 287 tackles, including 19.5 for losses.
Barron played scholastically at Suffield Academy.
Offense: Tyler Booker, University of Alabama (New Haven, CT/IMG Academy)
A reliable leader for the Crimson Tide offensive line, Tyler Booker helped the Alabama offense to a 35.5 points per game average, tied for the 16th-best mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Booker paved the way for an Alabama rushing group that averaged 182.7 yards per game. He amassed 93 knockdown blocks across 715 snaps in 12 games. According to Pro Football Focus, Booker did not surrender a sack in 176 passing opportunities over his 12 starts.
Booker was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference and earned Walter Camp Second-Team All-American honors.
Alabama (9-3) will take on Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31.
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. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.
Connecticut Player of the Year
Presented to the top college football player who is a resident and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut. The award is voted on by the Walter Camp Football Foundation membership.
2024 – Justin Barron, LB, Syracuse; Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
2023 – Justin Barron, LB, Syracuse; Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (Wisconsin)
2022 – Drew Pyne, QB, Notre Dame (Arizona State)
2021 – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky; Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami
2020 – Andrew Stueber, OL, Michigan
2019 – Christian Montano, C, Tulane
2018 – Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
2017 – Ervin Philips, WR, Syracuse
2016 – Noel Thomas, WR, Connecticut
2015 – Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
2014 – Tyler Murphy, QB, Boston College
2013 – Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB, Boston College
2012 – Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
2011 – Silas Redd, RB, Penn State
2010 – John Moffitt, OL, Wisconsin
2009 – Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
2008 – Kory Sheets, RB, Purdue
2007 – Mike McLeod, RB, Yale
2006 – Kory Sheets, RB, Purdue
2005 – John Sullivan, C, Notre Dame
2004 – Anttaj Hawthorne, DT, Wisconsin; Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut
2003 – Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut
2002 – Niko Koutouvides, LB, Purdue
2001 – Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse
2000 – Peter Mazza, LB, Yale
1999 – Bobby Myers, DB, Wisconsin
1998 – Carl Bond, RB, Connecticut
1997 – Kyle McIntosh, RB, Syracuse
1996 – Tarek Salah, LB, Wisconsin
1995 – Tarek Salah, LB, Wisconsin
1994 – Jason Miska, LB, Auburn
1993 – Chris Zingo, LB, Cornell
1992 – Curtis Eller, LB, Villanova
1991 – Corey Vincent, DL, Holy Cross
1990 – Rob Thomson, DB, Syracuse
1989 – Terry Wooden, LB, Syracuse
1988 – Glenn Antrum, WR, Connecticut
1987 – Bill Romanowski, LB, Boston College
1986 – Richard Comizio, RB, Pennsylvania
1985 – Tom Patton, DE, Holy Cross
1984 – No recipient
1983 – Steve Young, QB, Brigham Young
1982 – Mike Marshall, DB, Southern Conn.
1981 – Richard Diana, RB, Yale
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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 – 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.
