Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 Player of the Year Preseason “Watch List”

The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of fifty “players to watch” for its 2018 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.  Nine players on the 2018 watch list, including 2017 First Teamers Bryce Love (Stanford, running back) and Ed Oliver (Houston, defensive end), have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors. In all, 41 schools and 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the list with defending national champion Alabama, Miami (Florida), Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and West Virginia each having two players.

There are 38 offensive players (17 quarterbacks, 15 running backs and six receivers/tight ends) on the list along with 12 from the defensive side of the ball.

“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Michael Madera said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November.  The 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 129 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 6.  The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 52^nd annual national awards banquet on January 12, 2019 in New Haven, Conn.

Please note: Appearing on the preseason Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-America team.

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 Walter Camp Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 23 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story. The members of the NCFAA unveiled their preseason watch lists over a 10-day period (July 16-27). Sixteen of the association’s 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates.

2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List

Cam Akers, RB, Sophomore, Florida State

Darius Anderson, RB, Junior, TCU

Rodney Anderson, RB, Junior, Oklahoma

Ben Banogu, DE, Sophomore, TCU

Nick Bosa, DL, Junior, Ohio State #

Spencer Brown, RB, Sophomore, UAB

Jake Bentley, QB, Junior, University of South Carolina

A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss

Jake Browning, QB, Senior, Washington

Devin Bush, LB, Junior, Michigan #

Raekwon Davis, DL, Junior, Alabama

AJ Dillon, RB, Sophomore, Boston College

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Sophomore, Ohio State

T.J. Edwards, LB, Senior, Wisconsin #

Noah Fant, TE, Junior, Iowa

Mason Fine, QB, Junior, North Texas

Ryan Finley, QB, Senior, North Carolina State

Rashan Gary, DE, Junior, Michigan

Myles Gaskin, RB, Senior, Washington

Joe Gilles-Harris, LB, Junior, Duke #

Will Grier, QB, Senior, West Virginia

Justice Hansen, QB, Senior, Arkansas State

Damien Harris, RB, Senior, Alabama

Darrell Henderson, RB, Junior Memphis

Justice Hill, RB, Sophomore, Oklahoma State

Collin Johnson, WR, Junior, Texas

Diontae Johnson, WR, Junior, Toledo

Jaquan Johnson, DB, Senior, Miami (Fla.)

Dexter Lawrence, DL, Junior, Clemson

Brian Lewerke, QB, Junior, Michigan State

Drew Lock, QB, Senior, Missouri

Bryce Love, RB, Senior, Stanford *

Trace McSorley, QB, Senior, Penn State

McKenzie Milton, QB, Junior, UCF

Steven Montez, QB, Junior, Colorado

Ed Oliver, DL, Junior, Houston *

Malcolm Perry, QB, Junior, Navy

Ahmmon Richards, WR, Junior, Miami (Fla.)

Brett Rypien, QB, Senior, Boise State

Kyle Shurmur, QB, Senior, Vanderbilt

David Sills, WR, Senior, West Virginia #

Devin Singletary, RB, Junior, Florida Atlantic

Benny Snell, RB, Junior, Kentucky

Jarrett Stidham, QB, Junior, Auburn

Khalil Tate, QB, Junior, Arizona

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Sophomore, Wisconsin #

Christian Wilkins, DL, Senior, Clemson #

Greedy Williams, DB, Sophomore, LSU

Brandon Wimbush, QB, Senior, University of Notre Dame

Darnell Woolfolk, RB, Senior, Army-West Point

 

* 2017 Walter Camp All-America First Team selection

# – 2017 Walter Camp All-America Second Team selection