Penn State saw a pair of student-athletes honored as national award winners at the annual College Football Awards. Tight end Tyler Warren landed the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. Redshirt senior offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] was also recognized with the Wuerffel Trophy, considered college football’s premier award for community service.
Dawkins became the first Nittany Lion in program history to earn the Wuerffel Trophy and was Penn State’s second finalist for the award all-time, joining Stefen Wisniewski in 2010. The trophy embodies Wuerffel’s commitment to humanitarianism while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and positively impact society.
After starting several initiatives, Dawkins was a worthy recipient of this year’s top community service award. He founded the Dawkins Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering communities through youth engagement. The foundation awarded three scholarships to high school seniors and collaborates with local Pennsylvania YMCA’s. Dawkins is also the president of Penn State’s chapter of Uplifting Athletes, which raises funds for rare disease research.
Dawkins was an All-Big Ten honorable mention this season and has earned four Academic All-Big Ten honors. Throughout his career as a Nittany Lion, Dawkins appeared in 39 games and started 13.