For Immediate Release: July 18, 2017
Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, has released the 2017 Biletnikoff Award Pre-Season Watch List. The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes the outstanding receiver, not merely the outstanding wide receiver. The award recipient is selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, and former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. BiletnikoffAward.com/voters
Receivers are periodically added to the watch list as their season performances dictate. Actual, not potential, performance is the basis for inclusion on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
The transparently detailed and explicit criteria for candidate eligibility, watch list inclusion, and voting appear at: BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria
The 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on December 7, 2017, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast 7:00 – 9:00pm (EST) on ESPN. College Football Hall of Famer, Heisman Trophy winner, and Biletnikoff Award voter Desmond Howard will present the 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner on the show. Howard is one of only 5 ends or receivers who has won the Heisman Trophy, joining Larry Kelley, Leon Hart, Johnny Rodgers, and Biletnikoff Award voter Tim Brown.
The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is uncannily predictable. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, and Larry Fitzgerald.
The 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by college and pro football hall of famers Fred Biletnikoff and keynoter Floyd Little before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, February 10, 2018. The banquet was hailed by 2014 keynote speaker Dick Vermeil, as well as by 2013 keynoter Larry Csonka, as “the best banquet in college sports.”
The banquet has featured distinguished keynoters of profound character and accomplishments including Bart Starr, Dick Vermeil, Larry Csonka, Steve Largent, Mike Ditka, Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bob Griese, Bill Curry, Bobby Bowden, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, and Dan Fouts.
The banquet also recognizes the Foundation’s scholarship recipients who will be offered by the Foundation over $800,000 in college and vocational scholarships and related benefits in 2018 alone, as in 2016 and 2017. The Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extra-curricular levels.
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., will announce the ten Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on November 13, 2017, following the vote by the members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Likewise, the three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on November 21, 2017. For complete details and updates of interest, together with weekly statistics and timely, important news of the Biletnikoff Award candidates, as well as a fan vote and discussion board, please consult the Foundation’s highly informative website at BiletnikoffAward.com.
The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an All-America receiver at Florida State University, and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation (TQC), Inc., created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994.
The 2017 Biletnikoff Award Pre-Season Watch List
(Other receivers will be added as their season performances dictate)
| NAME | SCHOOL |
| Sergio Bailey II | Eastern Michigan |
| Linell Bonner | Houston |
| Adam Breneman | Massachusetts |
| Ventell Bryant | Temple |
| Deon Cain | Clemson |
| Keke Coutee | Texas Tech |
| Deondre Douglas | Troy |
| Jonathan Duhart | Old Dominion |
| Shay Fields | Colorado |
| Michael Gallup | Colorado State |
| James Gardner | Miami (Ohio) |
| Devin Gray | Cincinnati |
| Andy Isabella | Massachusetts |
| Richie James | Middle Tennessee |
| Jon’Vea Johnson | Toledo |
| KeeSean Johnson | Fresno State |
| Christian Kirk | Texas A&M |
| Allen Lazard | Iowa State |
| Tavares Martin Jr. | Washington State |
| Jalen McCleskey | Oklahoma State |
| Anthony Miller | Memphis |
| Scott Miller | Bowling Green |
| J’Mon Moore | Missouri |
| Dante Pettis | Washington |
| Ervin Philips | Syracuse |
| Cam Phillips | Virginia Tech |
| T.J. Rahming | Duke |
| Ahmmon Richards | Miami |
| Calvin Ridley | Alabama |
| Demetris Robertson | California |
| Devin Ross | Colorado |
| Deebo Samuel | South Carolina |
| Steven Sims Jr. | Kansas |
| Tre’Quan Smith | UCF |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | Notre Dame |
| Allenzae Staggers | Southern Miss |
| Courtland Sutton | SMU |
| Cody Thompson | Toledo |
| Emanuel Thompson | Troy |
| James Washington | Oklahoma State |
| Jester Weah | Pitt |
| Nick Westbrook | Indiana |
| Jimmy Williams | East Carolina |
| Corey Willis | Central Michigan |
| Cedrick Wilson | Boise State |
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award boasts 47 standout quarterbacks from different divisions and conferences across the nation. The Golden Arm Award is presented at the end of each football season and the winner is selected based on his accomplishments both on and off the field. Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, and we are proud to honor this new class of candidates. After three decades of honoring these quarterbacks’ achievements, the Golden Arm Award is the only college football award that has 10 previous recipients still competing in the NFL.
2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List:
• Austin Allen, Arkansas
• Kyle Allen, Houston
• J. T. Barrett, Ohio State
• Kurt Benkert, Virginia
• David Blough, Purdue
• Ahmad Bradshaw, Army
• Max Browne, Pittsburgh
• Christian Chapman, San Diego State
• Keller Chryst, Stanford
• Brandon Dawkins, Arizona
• Jason Driskel, Florida Atlantic
• Jesse Ertz, Kansas State
• Danny Etling, LSU
• Luke Falk, Washington State
• Riley Ferguson, Memphis
• Ryan Finley, NC State
• Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
• Quinton Flowers, South Florida
• Andrew Ford, UMass
• Justice Hansen, Arkansas State
• Brandon Harris, North Carolina
• Kenny Hill, TCU
• Stephen Johnson, Kentucky
• Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State
• Richard Lagow, Indiana
• Tanner Lee, Nebraska
• Matt Linehan, Idaho
• Connor Manning, Georgia State
• Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
• Trace McSorley, Penn State
• Ryan Metz, Univ. of Texas El Paso
• Hayden Moore, Cincinnati
• Kent Myers, Utah State
• Josh Rosen, UCLA
• Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
• Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech
• Bryant Shirreffs, UConn
• Brandon Silvers, Troy
• Wilton Speight, Michigan
• Nick Stevens, Colorado State
• Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
• Dalton Sturm, Univ. of Texas San Antonio
• Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
• Mike White, Western Kentucky
• Troy Williams, Utah
• Logan Woodside, Toledo
• Darius Wade, Boston College
2017 JOHN MACKEY AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
New York, N.Y. (July 11, 2017) – The Friends of John Mackey have released the 2017 John
Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight
end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and
the 2017 Mackey Award recipient will be announced on December 6, 2017 and then presented
live on December 7, 2017 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on
ESPNU. All future announcements can be found at http://www.johnmackeyaward.com.
NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end
position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the
field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his
place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.
The John Mackey Award presented since 2000, recognizes fourteen alumni that have played in
the NFL: two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham (‘01), 2006 Super Bowl Champion
Dallas Clark (‘02), Kellen Winslow II (‘03), two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (‘04),
Marcedes Lewis (‘05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2008 Super Bowl Champion Matt Spaeth (‘06),
Fred Davis (‘07), Chase Coffman (‘08), D.J. Williams (‘10), Dwayne Allen (’11) of the New
England Patriots, Tyler Eifert (’12) of the Cincinnati Bengals, Austin Seferian-Jenkins (’13) of the
New York Jets, Nick O’Leary (’14) of the Buffalo Bills, Hunter Henry of the Los Angeles Chargers
and 2016 John Mackey Award recipient Jake Butt of the Denver Broncos.
2017 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List
(in alphabetical order)
PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD NAMES 2017 PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Oklahoma City—The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award 2017 watch list was announced today and includes 45 of the nation’s
best defensive backs, representing ten conferences.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is one of the most coveted awards in college football. It is awarded to the best
defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was
established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled not only as a running back, passer, and kicker on the offensive side of the ball; but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
Paycom Software, Inc. (“Paycom”) (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital
management software, and the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) jointly announced in May of 2017 an exclusive sponsorship of the Jim Thorpe Award. As a result, the accolade will be named the “Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening committee who compiles a list of 30-50 players.
The list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses. The Thorpe Award Winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 7, 2017, on ESPN.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet will be held on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, in Oklahoma.
2017 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List
Brandon Addison
Old Dominion- Sr.
Jaire Alexander
Louisville – Jr.
Marcus Allen
Penn State – Sr.
Dravon Askew-Henry
West Virginia – Jr.
Quin Blanding
Virginia – Sr.
Joe Brown
WKU – Sr.
Andre Chachere
San Jose State – Sr.
Sean Chandler
Temple – Sr.
Justin Clifton
Arkansas State – Jr.
Amari Coleman
Central Michigan – Sr.
Kamari Cotton-Moya
Iowa State – Sr.
Duke Dawson
Florida – Sr.
Clifton Duck
Appalachian State – So.
Mike Edwards
Kentucky – Jr.
Rashard Fant
Indiana – Sr.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Alabama – Jr.
Tre Flowers
Oklahoma State – Sr.
Chase Hansen
Utah – Jr.
Heath Harding
Miami – Sr.
Ronnie Harrison
Alabama – Jr.
Godwin Igwebuike
Northwestern – Sr.
Donte Jackson
LSU – Jr.
Derwin James
Florida State – So.
Chris Jones
Nebraska – Sr.
Shawun Lurry
NIU – Sr.
Iman Marshall
USC – Jr.
Kishawn McClain
North Texas – Sr.
Tarvarus McFadden
Florida State – Jr.
Quenton Meeks
Stanford – Jr.
Deatrick Nichols
USF – Sr.
Parry Nickerson
Tulane – Sr.
Nick Orr
TCU – Sr.
Taylor Rapp
Washington – So.
Jeremy Reaves
South Alabama – Sr.
D.J. Reed
Kansas State – Jr.
Justin Reid
Stanford – Jr.
Dominick Sanders
Georgia – Sr.
M.J. Stewart
North Carolina – Sr.
Greg Stroman
Virginia Tech – Sr.
Jaleel Wadood
UCLA – Sr.
Denzel Ward
Ohio State – Jr.
Armani Watts
Texas A&M – Sr.
Jordan Whitehead
Pitt – Jr.
Andrew Wingard
Wyoming – Jr.
Jalen Young
FAU – Jr.
By Conference: AAC (3), ACC (7), Big Ten (5), Big 12 (5), C-USA (4), MAC (3), MW (2), Pac-12 (6),
SEC (7), Sun Belt (3)
