Organizers for the Wuerffel Trophy announced today that Clemson running back Darien Rencher has been named as one of a record 114 players on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy. Additional information from award organizers is included below.
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – July 23, 2020 – The Wuerffel Trophy announced its Watch List today of 114 players from college football’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The number is a record for the award since it first began releasing a watch list in 2015.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world.
“It is so inspiring to see this record number of athletes being submitted for the award,” said Wuerffel. “These young men truly represent college football’s most impactful community service leaders. We are proud to honor them.”
Notable returnees to the Watch List include 2019 finalist Isaiah Sanders of Stanford (transferring for senior season of eligibility from USAF Academy) and semifinalists Teton Saltes of New Mexico and Sam Ehlinger of Texas.
2020 WUERFFEL TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY UNIVERSITY)Miller Forristall, Alabama, senior, tight endNoah Hannon, App State, senior, offensive lineColin Schooler, Arizona, senior, linebackerEthan Long, Arizona State, sophomore, tight endAndre Harris, Jr., Arkansas State, junior, offensive lineJoe Stephenson, Army, senior, linebackerChandler Wooten, Auburn, senior, linebackerBrandon Martin, Ball State, senior, linebackerTerrel Bernard, Baylor, junior, linebackerDonte Harrington, Boise State, senior, offensive lineMax Michel, Buffalo, sophomore, defensive lineBracken El-Bakri, BYU, senior, defensive lineMichael Saffell, California, senior, offensive lineTyriq Harris, Charlotte, senior, defensive lineBlake Bacevich, Cincinnati, sophomore, defensive lineDarien Rencher, Clemson, senior, running backC.J. Brewer, Coastal Carolina, senior, defensive lineColby Pursell, Colorado, junior, offensive lineBarry Wesley, Colorado State, junior, offensive lineRakavius Chambers, Duke, senior, offensive lineHolton Ahlers, East Carolina, junior, quarterbackThomas Odukoya, Eastern Michigan, senior, tight endDante Lang, Florida, sophomore, tight endJaiden Lars-Woodbey, Florida State, sophomore, defensive backEric Stokes, Georgia, junior, defensive backShai Werts, Georgia Southern, senior, quarterbackJack DeFoor, Georgia Tech, senior, offensive lineHekili Keliiliki, Hawai’i, junior, running backPayton Turner, Houston, senior, defensive lineDoug Kramer, Illinois, senior, offensive lineHarry Crider, Indiana, senior, offensive lineBrock Purdy, Iowa State, junior, quarterbackApi Mane, Kansas, senior, offensive lineChris Hughes, Kansas, senior, offensive lineSkylar Thompson, Kansas State, senior, quarterbackDustin Crum, Kent State, senior, quarterbackLandon Young, Kentucky, senior, offensive lineLuke Fortner, Kentucky, senior, offensive lineJalen Williams, Louisiana, senior, wide receiverJoshua Mote, Louisiana Tech, junior, offensive lineReeves Blankenship, Louisiana Tech, junior, long snapperJaCoby Stevens, LSU, senior, defensive backBrenden Knox, Marshall University, junior, running backJake Funk, Maryland, senior, running backBrady White, Memphis, senior, quarterbackZach McCloud, Miami, senior, linebackerJack Sorenson, Miami (Ohio), senior, wide receiverAdam Shibley, Michigan, senior, linebackerAsher O’Hara, Middle Tennessee State, junior, quarterbackTanner Morgan, Minnesota, junior, quarterbackKobe Jones, Mississippi State, senior, defensive lineKobie Whiteside, Missouri, senior, defensive lineCameron Kinley, Navy, senior, defensive backBen Stille, Nebraska, senior, defensive lineLawson Hall, Nevada, senior, linebackerTeton Saltes, New Mexico, senior, offensive lineSage Doxtater, New Mexico State, senior, offensive lineTrenton Gill, North Carolina State, junior, punterDeion Hair-Griffin, North Texas, senior, wide receiver/special teamsDaelin Hayes, Notre Dame, junior, defensive lineMaster Teague III, Ohio State, sophomore, running backCaleb Kelly, Oklahoma, senior, linebackerChuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State, junior, running backIsaac Weaver, Old Dominion, senior, offensive lineMac Brown, Ole Miss, senior, punterBrady Breeze, Oregon, senior, defensive backIsaac Hodgins, Oregon State, junior, defensive lineJaydon Grant, Oregon State, junior, defensive backSean Clifford, Penn State, junior, quarterbackPatrick Jones II, Pitt, senior, defensive lineGrant Hermanns, Purdue, senior, offensive lineChristian Webb, San José State, senior, linebackerShane Buechele, SMU, senior, quarterbackBrian Ankerson, South Alabama, junior, offensive lineDylan Wonnum, South Carolina, junior, offensive lineSwayze Bozeman, Southern Miss, senior, linebackerConnor Wedington, Stanford, senior, wide receiverIsaiah Sanders, Stanford, senior, quarterbackTreyjohn Butler, Stanford, senior, defensive backKingsley Jonathan, Syracuse, senior, defensive lineGarret Wallow, TCU, senior, linebackerKellton Hollins, TCU, senior, offensive lineIsaiah Graham-Mobley, Temple, senior, linebackerTrey Smith, Tennessee, senior, offensive lineSam Ehlinger, Texas, senior, quarterbackKellen Mond, Texas A&M University, senior, quarterbackZech McPhearson, Texas Tech, senior, defensive backBailey Flint, Toledo, senior, punterLuke Whittemore, Troy, junior, wide receiverSorrell Brown, Tulane, sophomore, wide receiverAkayleb Evans, Tulsa, junior, defensive backChris Paul, Tulsa, junior, offensive lineWilson Beaverstock, UAB, sophomore, kickerSamuel Jackson, UCF, junior, offensive lineBrian Keating, UConn, senior, long snapperCole McCubrey, UMass, senior, linebackerSolomon Siskind, UMass, junior, tight endDaniel Imatorbhebhe, USC, senior, tight endKJ Sails, USF, senior, defensive backDevin Lloyd, Utah, junior, linebackerJustus Te’i, Utah State, senior, defensive lineSolomon Wise, UTSA, senior, linebackerAndre Mintze, Vanderbilt, senior, linebackerDillon Reinkensmeyer, Virginia, senior, offensive lineTerrell Jana, Virginia, senior, wide receiverSage Surratt, Wake Forest, junior, wide receiverRace Porter, Washington, senior, punterJarret Doege, West Virginia, junior, quarterbackSam James, West Virginia, junior, wide receiverSean Mahone, West Virginia, senior, defensive backDevon Key, Western Kentucky, senior, defensive backJuwuan Jones, Western Kentucky, junior, defensive lineMike Caliendo, Western Michigan, senior, offensive lineMadison Cone, Wisconsin, senior, defensive back
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities’ Sports Information Departments and will close on October 15. A current list of nominees can be found at www.wuerffeltrophy.org beginning on August 1. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 3 and finalists will be announced on November 23.
The formal announcement of the 2020 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation’s festivities in New York City on December 8. The presentation of the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 52nd All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 19, 2021 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past recipients of the award are: Rudy Niswanger – LSU – 2005; Joel Penton – Ohio State – 2006; Paul Smith – Tulsa – 2008; Tim Tebow – Florida – 2008; Tim Hiller – Western Michigan – 2009; Sam Acho – Texas – 2010; Barrett Jones – Alabama – 2011; Matt Barkley – USC – 2012; Gabe Ikard – Oklahoma – 2013; Deterrian Shackelford – Ole Miss – 2014; Ty Darlington – Oklahoma – 2015; Trevor Knight – Texas A&M – 2016; Courtney Love – Kentucky – 2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018; Jon Wassink – Western Michigan – 2019.
The Wuerffel Trophy is presented by Chick-fil-A® and is also supported by its corporate partners Dart Container Corporation/Solo Cup and Herff Jones.
About the National College Football Awards AssociationThe Wuerffel Trophy 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 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a two-week period this month. Fourteen of the association’s awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2020 preseason watch list calendar:
