Walter Camp Football Foundation Launches Fan Vote and Player Impact Ranking with DSA Labs
New Haven, CT — College football fans… the spotlight is yours! The Walter Camp Football Foundation, caretakers of the nation’s oldest college football All-America teams, is partnering with DSA Labs, a Connecticut-based SportsTech company, to launch the Walter Camp Player Impact Ranking (WCI) and integrate it directly into the newly-created All-America Fan Vote — transforming how players are evaluated and how fans engage with the game.
Presented annually to the top performers across all positions at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the Walter Camp All-America Team has recognized excellence on the gridiron since 1889, continuing the legacy of Walter Camp, the “Father of American Football.”
For the first time, the selection of the nation’s oldest Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) All-America team as well as All-America teams at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, III and NAIA levels, will include a nationwide fan vote—giving passionate college football fans the power to help honor the sports’ collegiate standouts.
Fans will join head coaches and sports communication directors in shaping the final roster of gridiron greats.
“Walter Camp has long been considered the Father of American Football and our All-America teams are a celebration of the outstanding players who define the great sport of college football—those who make the big plays, inspire their teams, and fire up the fans,” said Walter Camp President John Barbarotta. “We are now elated to invite fans to be part of this great college football legacy and this important vote of the most prestigious All-America team in the nation.”
The Fan Vote is much more, especially as changes have occurred in the college football landscape. The Walter Camp Player Impact Ranking, created through Darien, Connecticut-based DSA Labs, uses real-time data analytics to evaluate player performance beyond traditional statistics — incorporating leadership, situational efficiency, and game-changing plays.
The integration of this data-driven system into the Walter Camp All-America Fan Vote marks a historic moment in college football engagement, empowering fans with the same insights used by coaches, scouts, and agents.
These advanced analytics will help inform fan votes and power the Walter Camp All-America Fan Vote Leaderboard!
“The Walter Camp Impact Rating is a unique performance index that assesses a player’s overall impact on the game,” explained Chip Krotee, Founder and CEO of DSA Labs. “Powered by an advanced statistical engine and informed by numerous data sources, the WCI provides meaningful comparisons between athletes from different teams, conferences, and even position groups on a simple 0–100 scale. The results are trusted by coaches and agents alike in determining player value. For the first time ever, these advanced analytics will help inform fan votes and power the Walter Camp All-America Fan Vote Leaderboard.”
“The Walter Camp Impact Ranking changes everything about how high school and college football players at all levels are evaluated and ranked,” said Rob Thompson, Executive Director, Walter Camp Commercial Partnerships and Innovation. “This SportsTech integration further emphasizes the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s commitment to investing in and building the future of American Football.”
Thompson added, “By integrating the Walter Camp Impact Ranking technology into the FanVote, it transforms fan participation into actionable insight. The goal is to give every player, alum, and fan the ability to see real data on player performance ranking through the lens of a coach, scout, or general manager.”
Starting November 1, college football fans nationwide will be able to view live player rankings, vote for their favorites, and track weekly updates powered by DSA Labs’ proprietary data engine.
Voting Details:
- Fans can vote at www.votegridiron1880.com
- Voting opens Nov 1st and closes Dec. 1 (for FBS) and Dec. 8 (FCS, NAIA, Div. II and III).
- One vote per fan per day.
The 2025 Walter Camp FBS All-America team will be announced on Friday, December 12 during ESPN’s College Football Awards Show. The Walter Camp FCS, Division II, III and NAIA All-American teams will be announced the following week.
About Walter Camp Football Foundation
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.
About DSA Labs
Based in Connecticut, DSA Labs is a SportsTech and data analytics company specializing in performance metrics, predictive modeling, and fan engagement platforms. Their mission is to redefine how player performance is measured and valued in the modern era of sports.
