Monday 08/04/2025
The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced today that quarterback Cade Klubnik and defensive lineman Peter Woods have been named as two of 45 members on the 2025 watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Additional information from award organizers is included below.
Visit the 2025 Preseason Honors hub for more preseason accolades garnered by Clemson.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of forty-five “players to watch” for its 2025 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade, and presented by Crabtree Lexus of New Haven.
The 2025 watch list includes 38 offensive players (21 quarterbacks, 11 running backs, five receivers/tight ends and one two-way player) along with eight from the defensive side of the ball.
Players from 37 different schools representing 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the preseason watch list.
Texas has three players on the watch list, while six schools (Arizona State, Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt) each have two.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president John Barbarotta said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
Former Colorado wide receiver/defensive back and current Jacksonville Jaguar Travis Hunter was the 2024 Walter Camp Player of the Year. Hunter was also the first player to be named a Walter Camp First Team All-American on both sides of the ball.
The 2025 Player of Year watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in early November, and three finalists will be announced in early December. The 2025 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 133 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show on December 12.
Earlier this summer, the Foundation announced its 2025 preseason All-American teams. Walter Camp is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious collegiate football All-America team and was first selected in 1889.
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.
Walter Camp Player of Year Award Background• There have been 58 previous winners of the Walter Camp Player of the Year – first awarded in 1967 (O.J. Simpson, running back, USC).• Of the 58 recipients, 25 have been running backs, 23 quarterbacks, five wide receivers, three defensive players, one tight end and one two-way player (Travis Hunter, Colorado, 2024 – WR/DB).• There have been three two-time recipients – O.J. Simpson, USC (1967 and 1968); Archie Griffin, Ohio State (1974 and 1975) and Colt McCoy, Texas (2008 and 2009).• Twenty-six schools have had a Walter Camp Player of Year winner, led by USC’s seven recipients. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma have each had four winners.2025 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch
2025 Watch ListDrew Allar, QB, Penn StateLuke Altmyer, QB, IllinoisCarson Beck, QB, MiamiVaughn Blue, RB, LibertyBraylon Braxton, QB, Southern MissIsaac Brown, RB, LouisvilleByrum Brown, QB, South FloridaDemond Claiborne, RB, Wake ForestJalon Daniels, QB, KansasCaleb Downs, DB, Ohio StateDequan Finn, QB, Miami OhioAnthony Hankerson, RB, Oregon StateJamal Haynes, RB, Georgia TechAl-Jay Henderson, RB, BuffaloJason Henderson, LB, Old DominionAnthony Hill, Jr., LB, TexasBlake Horvath, QB, NavyMakhi Hughes, RB, OregonNico Iamaleava, QB, UCLAKeyone Jenkins, QB, FIUMikail Kamara, Edge, IndianaCade Klubnik, QB, Clemson DJ Lagway, QB, FloridaSam Leavitt, QB, Arizona StateJeremiyah Love, RB, Notre DameKyle Louis, LB, PittsburghMaddux Madsen, QB, Boise StateArch Manning, QB, TexasJohn Mateer, QB, OklahomaDante Moore, QB, OregonParker Navarro, QB, OhioGarrett Nussmeier, QB, LSUDiego Pavia, QB, VanderbiltKoi Perich, WR/DB, MinnesotaKaidon Salter, QB, ColoradoLa Norris Sellars [sic], QB, South CarolinaColin Simmons, TexasNicholas Singleton, RB, Penn StateJeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio StateDylan Stewart, Edge, South CarolinaEli Stowers, TE, VanderbiltJai Den Thomas, RB, UNLVJordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona StateJaheim White, RB, West VirginiaRyan Williams, WR, AlabamaPeter Woods, DL, Clemson
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 Walter Camp Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
Watch List CalendarMon., July 28: Maxwell AwardTue., July 29: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski TrophyWed., July 30: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award/Butkus AwardThu., July 31: Paul Hornung Award/Allstate Wuerffel TrophyFri., Aug. 1: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy AwardMon., Aug. 4: Walter Camp AwardTue., Aug. 5: Doak Walker AwardWed., Aug. 6: Biletnikoff AwardThu., Aug. 7: Davey O’Brien AwardFri., Aug. 8: Mackey Award/Rimington TrophyMon., Aug. 11: Bednarik Award
December 3, 2025
December 2, 2025
December 1, 2025
November 29, 2025
