West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins Jr. and Louisville’s Kaleb Beasley Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week – Week 3 (Sept. 22)
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for games ending September 19.
About the Award: This is the 23rd 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. It is the nation’s longest-running Player of Week award.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MICHAEL HAWKINS JR., WEST VIRGINIA
RS Sophomore, Quarterback, Austin, TX
Guiding the WVU offense in its 38-27 win over then-No. 25 Virginia, Michael Hawkins Jr. threw for 190 yards and two scores. Named the Big 12 Offensive Player of Week, Hawkins Jr. also set career highs in rushing with 123 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first Big 12 quarterback to score five touchdowns against a ranked opponent since 2019 and the first FBS signal caller to achieve the feat this season.
Notes: It is the eighth time since 2004 (and first since September 2, 2018 – Will Grier, QB) that a West Virginia player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior, Defensive Back, Nashville, TN
Kaleb Beasley finished with a team-high 10 tackles and two interceptions in the Louisville’s 41-31 win over No. 16 SMU. Beasley recorded an interception in the second quarter and added another late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Cardinals, who improved to 3-0. Beasley was also honored as the ACC Defensive Back of the Week.
Notes: It is the sixth time since 2004 (and first since November 6, 2016 – Lamar Jackson, QB) that a Louisville player has earned Walter Camp National FBS Player of Week honors. The last defensive honoree was former safety Gerod Holliman on November 9, 2014.
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 1,000 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
