Whitehurst Named To O’Brien Award Watch List

July 14, 2004

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 13, 2004 – Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is among the preseason Davey O’Brien Watch List selections for 2004. The list was announced on Tuesday. The award is annual presented at the conclusion of the season to the top quarterback in the nation.

Whitehurst is the second Clemson quarterback to be named to the preseason watch list. Woodrow Dantzler was a mid-season addition to the list in 2000 and was named to the preseason list in 2001. Whitehust led Clemson to a 9-4 record and number-22 final ranking in 2003 as a sophomore when he established 33 Clemson records for passing and total offense.

The O’Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O’Brien, the All-American and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for Texas Christian University who led the Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship.

Semifinalists will be announced in early November and narrowed to three finalists later in that month by the O’Brien National Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of nationally known sportswriters, commentators and other members of the media. The winner of the 2004 O’Brien Award will be announced Dec. 9 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla. The winner will be honored at the 28th Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner in February 2005, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The 42 candidates on the watch list are:

Derek Anderson……………. Sr……….. Oregon State

Reggie Ball…………………… So………. Georgia Tech

Brock Berlin…………………. Sr……….. Miami (Fla)

Jon Beutjer…………………… Sr……….. Illinois

Timmy Chang……………….. Sr……….. Hawaii

Kellen Clemens…………….. Jr……….. Oregon

Brodie Croyle……………….. Jr……….. Alabama

Jay Cutler…………………….. Jr……….. Vanderbilt

Darian Durant……………….. Sr……….. North Carolina

Charlie Frye…………………. Sr……….. Akron

Bruce Gradkowski………… Jr……….. Toledo