The Clemson Tigers will have some representation at this year’s annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.
Former Tigers soccer player Ousmane Sylla was nominated for Best College Athlete in men’s sports at this year’s ESPYS, scheduled for July 11 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
At Clemson, Sylla was a two-time national champion and the winner of the 2023 MAC Hermann Award, given to the nation’s top college players in both men’s and women’s soccer. The Tigers won the national championship in 2023, in large part due to Sylla.
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Clemson defeated Notre Dame, 2-1, back on December 11 to secure the program’s second championship in three seasons and their fourth all-time (since 1984). Sylla scored his 13th goal of the season in the 90th minute of the championship game against the Fighting Irish.
The Senegal native finished the season with 10 assists and 36 points, good for fifth most in the nation. After the season, Sylla was selected in the second round (55th overall) of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by Houston Dynamo FC.
“I’m so grateful for being nominated for this award,” Sylla said in a press release. “This past year has been very rewarding, winning both the MAC Hermann Award and my second national championship. I’m thankful for the Clemson fans for always supporting me. I will forever be a Clemson Tiger.”
Sylla is hoping to become just the second Clemson athlete to win an ESPY for Best College Athlete in men’s sports. Former Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson won the award in 2017 after leading Clemson to its first national championship in college football since 1981.
Other finalists for the ESPYS’ Best College Athlete in men’s sports are former LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, former Purdue basketball center and 2024 first-round NBA draft pick Zach Edey, and Notre Dame lacrosse player Pat Kavanagh.
Some of the top names in sports that are nominated for ESPYS this year include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark.
A full list of ESPY nominees can be viewed here.
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