Most of the 2021 individual college football awards have been spoken for, but there are still a few out there. In fact, Ohio State has two of the five finalists up for the fourth annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. Those two players are, of course, quarterback C.J. Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson. OSU is the only school with more than one finalist named.
Besides being named a Heisman Trophy finalist, Stroud threw for 3,862 yards and 38 touchdowns in the regular season as a redshirt freshman in 2021. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in eight major statistical categories, including passer efficiency (second, 182.2), yards per game (fourth, 351.1), touchdown passes (fifth, 38), and completion percentage (sixth, 70.9).
As a true freshman, Henderson rushed for 1,165 yards and scored a school freshman-record 19 touchdowns. Against Tulsa on Sept. 18, he broke Archie Griffin’s 49-year-old single-game freshman rushing record when he finished with 270 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns. A native of Hopewell, Virginia, Henderson also added 23 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
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The award will be presented at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala in January. Winners will be chosen from Stroud, Henderson, and three other finalists: Brock Bowers, a tight end at Georgia; Xavier Worthy, a wide receiver at Texas and Braelon Allen, a running back at Wisconsin. Past winners of the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award include Trevor Lawrence (Clemson, 2018), Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis, 2019)) and Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama, 2020).
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