The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced today that Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and wide receiver Justyn Ross have been named as two of 35 players to watch for the 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Additional information from the Walter Camp Football Foundation is included below.
New Haven, CT – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of 35 “players to watch” for its 2021 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
There are 25 offensive players (13 quarterbacks, eight running backs and four receivers/tight ends) on the preseason watch list along with 10 from the defensive side of the ball. In all, 29 schools and 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the list with Iowa State having four players on the list. Defending national champion Alabama has two players on the watch list, along with Notre Dame and Clemson.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Mario Coppola 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 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 9. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 55th annual national awards banquet on January 15, 2022 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.
2021 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch
Will Anderson, LB, AlabamaTank Bigsby, RB, AuburnBryan Bresee, DT, ClemsonTreylon Burks, WR, ArkansasMatt Corrall, QB, Ole MissDustin Crum, QB, Kent StateJayden Daniels, QB, Arizona StateJT Daniels, QB, GeorgiaDillon Gabriel, QB, UCFBreece Hall, RB, Iowa StateCade Hall, DE, San Jose StateKyle Hamilton, DB, Notre DameSam Howell, QB, North CarolinaMohamed Ibrahim, RB, MinnesotaBrandon Joseph, DB, NorthwesternD’Eriq King, QB, MiamiCharlie Kolar, TE, Iowa StateDeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&MGrayson McCall, QB, Coastal CarolinaJohn Metchie, WR, AlabamaSincere McCormick, RB, UTSAChris Olave, WR, Ohio StateMichael Peniz, QB, IndianaBrock Purdy, QB, Iowa StateSpencer Rattler, QB, OklahomaDesmond Ridder, QB, CincinnatiBijuan Robinson, RB, TexasMike Rose, LB, Iowa StateJustyn Ross, WR, ClemsonKedon Slovis, QB, USCDerek Stingley, DB, LSUKayvon Thibodeaux, DE, OregonDemetrius Taylor, DE, Appalachian StateKyren Williams, RB, Notre DameMalik Willis, QB, Liberty
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 – 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 the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935.
