Tag: award

Saints RB Latavius Murray nominated for Salute to Service Award

New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray was nominated for the 2020 Salute to Service Award due to his appreciation for the military.

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New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray was chosen as the team’s nominee for this year’s Salute to Service Award presented by USAA, the NFL announced this week.

Murray’s nomination owes to his continued appreciation for the American military, informed by the experience of his fiancée and childhood friend Shauntay, a 13-year U.S. Navy veteran, and which he’s shown through volunteerism and fundraising to support service members and their families.

Here’s some details about Murray’s nomination, from an NFL press release:

“Murray said he’s been able to see characteristics that help military members accomplish their jobs overlap with elements that help in football. The up-close view of commitment, sacrifice and unselfishness has inspired Murray to do more to support military members and their families. He has participated in a USO Tour to visit troops serving in Germany and Italy. Additionally, Murray become the second NFL player to ever serve as an ambassador for the United Heroes League. United Heroes League provides sports registration fees and equipment for children in military families. Murray said his goals for the ambassador position are to increase awareness, help raise funds and show that the people that are actually involved truly care.”

Finalists for the tenth annual Salute to Service Award will be announced in January, with the winner decided at the upcoming NFL Honors celebration prior to Super Bowl LV. So stay tuned to see if

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Trask, Pitts named to National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List

UF’s duo of Kyle Trask and Pitts were announced on the College Football Performance Awards National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List.

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The accolades continue to pile up for Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask and his trusty tight end, Kyle Pitts, as the dynamic duo fuel one of the most potent offenses in college football. Despite having only played in three games so far in this COVID-crippled season, they still have the attention of many in the sports media.

The two were announced among a list of those chosen for the College Football Performance Awards National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List on Wednesday, an honor bestowed upon the best player “based upon the objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.”

Trask is currently tied with UCF’s Dillon Gabriel — albeit in one less game — for third in the nation with 14 passing touchdowns, only trailing Texas‘ Sam Ehlinger and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who have 16 and 15, respectively. Pitts is ranked second overall in touchdown receptions, knotted up in a three-way tie with Arkansas State’s Jonathan Adams Jr. and LSU‘s Terrace Marshall Jr. with seven — three less than North Texas’ Jaelon Darden, who leads the nation with 10.

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Detroit Lions D’Andre Swift nominated for NFL Ground Player of Week 6

Detroit Lions rookie running back D’Andre Swift has been nominated for the NFL Ground Player of Week 6 award — here’s how to vote!

Detroit Lions rookie running back D’Andre Swift has been nominated for the NFL Ground Player of Week 6 award, given to the best performance by a running back in the current week — here’s how to vote for him to win!

Swift’s nomination shouldn’t be overly surprising. He led the Lions backfield in snaps, was the No. 1 star in Lions Wire’s post-game awards, and the top player acknowledged in our Week 6 Studs and Duds review.

On a career day, Swift was able to rush for 116-yards on 14 carries, for an 8.3 yards per carry average, while also scoring on two rushing touchdowns.  He also added three receptions for seven receiving yards for good measure.

Here’s a look at his top-3 plays of the day, including a speedy 54-yard rush that helped the Lions establish an early lead on the Jaguars:

His competition for this week’s award is Tennesse Titans’ Derrick Henry (212 yards on 22 carries, 9.6 avg., and 2 TDs) and Ronald Jones (113 yards on 23 carries, 4.9 avg., 2 TDs).

And remember to vote for Swift here!

Saints have a case for back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year winners

A year after New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas won Offensive Player of the Year, teammate RB Alvin Kamara could follow in his footsteps.

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Do you know who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage?

That would be New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara, with 557 combined yards of offense (the runner-up: Green Bay Packers stud Aaron Jones, with 509 yards). That’s an average of 139.3 scrimmage yards per game, which puts him on pace for 2,228 yards over a 16-game season. For context, Carolina Panthers keystone Christian McCaffrey led the league with 2,392 scrimmage yards in 2019.

And what about the NFL’s leader in touchdown runs and catches?

Again: Alvin Kamara, with seven scores in his first four games (Jones and Minnesota Vikings runner Dalvin Cook are tied for next-best, with six touchdowns each). Kamara is on pace to score 28 times in 2020, which would shatter his own personal best (18) and tie the great Shaun Alexander for the second-most in NFL history behind the legendary LaDainian Tomlinson, who logged 31 combined touchdowns back in 2006.

Kamara has started the 2020 season with a series of bangs, running wild against every defense he’s faced. He’s seen more touches than the next three teammates combined (his backup, Latavius Murray, and wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Tre’Quan Smith) and done a lot to shoulder the load with all-star receiver Michael Thomas sidelined by an injury.

It’s certainly impressive, and it sets Kamara up as an early favorite to win the NFL’s award for Offensive Player of the Year. That’s the same recognition that Thomas himself earned in 2019 after breaking the league record for receptions in a single season. He had 149 catches last year and also led the NFL in receiving yards (1,725).

Sure, Kamara could trail off a bit. Defenses could start guarding him better, the Saints could start distributing the ball more evenly, or he could suffer an injury setback of his own (let’s hope not). Other players around the league could also start outplaying him. But there isn’t anyone performing better than him right now, or for much of the last month. And if he keeps it up, he should be considered for the same award Thomas won last year.

For the curious, no teammates have won Offensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons since 1989, when the San Francisco 49ers had a three-peat between wide receiver Jerry Rice (in 1987), running back Roger Craig (in 1988), and quarterback Steve Young (in 1989). Thomas and Kamara entering that kind of company would be historic.

But what about MVP? The NFL’s award for its Most Valuable Player has been limited to quarterbacks since 2012, when Adrian Peterson (Kamara’s one-time teammate) won it after running for 2,097 rushing yards and totaling 2,314 yards from scrimmage. And Peterson joined Alexander, Tomlinson, and Rams legend Marshall Faulk as the only non-quarterbacks to win MVP over the last 20 years, so Kamara would be a long shot in even a best-case scenario. But we’re not going to write him off just yet.

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Jack Fox named Special Teams Player of the Month, becomes first Lions’ punter win award

Jack Fox has been named Special Teams Player of the Month for September 2020, becoming the first Detroit Lions’ punter win this award.

Jack Fox has introduced himself to the NFL in emphatic fashion.

Through the first month of the 2020 season, Fox leads the league in Average Punt Yards per Attempt (53.1 yards), Net Punting Yards (51.1 yards), and Hang Time on punts (4.78 seconds). Additionally, Fox sits atop Pro Football Focus’ punter rankings with a 92.8 grade and is nearly 20 points higher than the next punter.

Fox’s hard work and fantastic performances throughout September have been recognized by the NFL and he has been named Special Teams Player of the Month — the first time a Detroit Lions punter has ever be recognized with this award.

As impressive as Fox has been throughout the year, both he and special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs have bigger aspirations ahead:

“Me and Jack are kind of on the same page in terms of the more success we have, we’re just going to keep raising the bar,” Coombs told the media on Tuesday. “We’re not really looking back right now and talking about anything that we’ve done. As he continues to go out and do better, then we’re just going to raise the goals higher and try to accomplish more… He knows that I’m very, very confident in him. I just don’t want he, or us, ever to feel satisfied or like we’ve arrived. We’re just going to keep trying to reach higher and higher and see how far we can take it.”

If Fox improves — or even maintains his pace — he will blow the NFL records out of the water. For perspective, the single-season NFL record for Net Punting yards is 46.0, and last year’s leader finished with an average of 44.5 yards.

Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of Week 1

New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead was named NFC Special Teams Player of Week 1 for his efforts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead earned recognition as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1, his fifth career honor and the most of any player in Saints history. Morstead was called on to punt six times against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he dropped five of them inside the Tampa Bay 20-yard line; Tom Brady’s Buccaneers offense never took over beyond their own 15-yard line on those five possessions.

The other NFC Players of the Week are Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Washington Football Team pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan. In the AFC, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was joined by Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Casey Hayward and Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, who booted a career-best 54-yard field goal to help lift his team to a Week 1 win.

Last season, Morstead was twice named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (in Weeks 3 and 6), as well as NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. For his part, Thomas is more focused on making sure attention is put on the “team” aspect of these award. He took time to praise his teammates and stress how important it is for each of them to work together:

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Tom Herman named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman was named to the Dodd Trophy Preseason watchlist. Herman was also apart of the list last year.

These days it isn’t only the players who are added to award watch lists. Coaches are also subject to being added and that is the case for Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman. He was added to the Dodd Trophy Award watch list.

The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity– the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy. – per The Dodd Trophy Award press release

Coaches who are entering their first year as head coach with their perspective teams will not be eligible. Also only teams participating in fall season will be considered for the award this year.

“An unprecedented season calls for an unprecedented preseason watch list,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “When considering candidates for this year’s Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation made the decision to align with the College Football Playoff’s timeline and only consider coaches who will play during the fall season. That said, we still would like to recognize coaches from other conferences who met all of the criteria and under normal circumstances would be included on our list.”

The coaches named include one former Longhorns head coach

  • Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
  • Luke Fickell (Cincinnati)
  • Nick Saban (Alabama)
  • Josh Huepel (Central Florida)
  • Gus Malzahn (Auburn)
  • Dan Mullen (Florida)
  • Bronco Mendenhall (BYU)
  • Brian Kelly (Notre Dame)
  • Kirby Smart (Georgia)
  • Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma)
  • Mack Brown (North Carolina)
  • Ed Orgeron (LSU)

The Award winner will be announced the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Herman was not apart of the finalist last season but he does return to the original watch list in 2020. Mack Brown won the award in 2008 when he was with Texas.

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask listed on Manning Award Watch List

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask continues to pick up the preseason accolades, as the redshirt senior was named to the Manning Award Watch List

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask continues to pick up the preseason accolades, as the redshirt senior was named to the Manning Award Watch List on Thursday, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced.

The Manning Award is given annually to the top quarterback in the nation, but unlike other quarterback awards, it takes into account bowl performance in addition to regular season performance.

Trask was one of 12 finalists for the award last year after finishing with 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions and a 156.09 rating. He led one of the best passing offense at Florida this century and became the first UF passer to toss three or more touchdown passes in consecutive games.

He’s one of 30 players across the country named to the watch list, as well as one of three from the SEC, along with Auburn’s Bo Nix and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond. The winner will be announced after the bowl season and will be voted on by a panel which includes national media members as well as every member of the Manning family.

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Toney, Lang placed on watch lists for Hornung Award, Wuerffel Trophy

Kadarius Toney was nominated for the Paul Hornung Award while tight end Dante Lang was named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Award.

An accolade-filled offseason continues for the Gators, as two more players were named to award watch lists on Thursday. Senior athlete Kadarius Toney was nominated for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player, while redshirt sophomore tight end Dante Lang was named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Award, a service award named after former UF star and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel.

Toney, a bit of a gadget player who sees time at receiver, running back and wildcat quarterback, is coming off a bit of a disappointing 2019 season in which he missed six games due to nagging injuries. He was limited to just 59 rushing yards on 12 carries and 10 catches for 194 yards. Toney saw sparse action as a returner on special teams, but he totaled just 33 yards on returns last season.

Still, Toney is one of the most electric players in the country with the ball in his hands, and if coach Dan Mullen and Florida’s offense can find a way to get him more involved, he’ll have a good shot at the Hornung Award, which is set to be announced at the Paul Hornung Award dinner in Louisville, Kent., next March.

Lang, on the other hand, is being honored for his off-the-field contributions. He logged 43 service hours during the 2019-20 school year volunteering at local elementary schools, for which he was given the 2020 Male Goodwill Athlete of the Year for his positive impact on the community.

Semifinalists for the Wuerffel Trophy will be announced on Nov. 3 with finalist announcements coming on Nov. 20. The winner will be announced by the National Football Foundation in New York City on Dec. 8 with the trophy set to be presented Wuerffel’s hometown of Fort Walton Beach on Feb. 19, 2021.

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Gators linebacker Ventrell Miller named to Butkus Award Watch List

Redshirt junior Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller has been named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, announced on Monday.

Redshirt junior Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller has been named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker, the Butkus Foundation announced Monday.

Miller is one of 51 players nationally to be named to the watch list for the award.

The Lakeland product is coming off a strong sophomore season in which he started 11 of the 12 games he appeared in and finished second on the team in tackles with 55. He ended the season with back-to-back career-high performances in tackles, notching eight against Florida State and Virginia.

Miller also earned three sacks on the year, two of which came in the season-opening win against Miami.

The list will be cut down to semifinalists on Nov. 2 and finalists on Nov. 23 before the winner is announced on Dec. 8.

Here is the full watch list.

Shane Lee Alabama
Dylan Moses Alabama
Merlin Robertson Arizona State
K.J. Britt Auburn
Terrel Bernard Baylor
Max Richardson Boston College
Kuony Deng California
James Skalski Clemson
Nate Landman Colorado
Ventrell Miller Florida
Azeez Ojulari Georgia
Monty Rice Georgia
Jake Hansen Illinois
Mike Rose Iowa State
Damone Clark LSU
Jabril Cox LSU
Cameron McGrone Michigan
Lakia Henry Mississippi
Erroll Thompson Mississippi State
Nick Bolton Missouri
Troy Andersen Montana State
Chazz Surratt North Carolina
Paddy Fisher Northwestern
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Notre Dame
Tuf Borland Ohio State
Baron Browning Ohio State
Pete Werner Ohio State
DaShaun White Oklahoma
Amen Ogbongbemiga Oklahoma State
Malcolm Rodriguez Oklahoma State
Isaac Slade-Matautia Oregon
Hamilcar Rashed Oregon State
Micah Parsons Penn State
Derrick Barnes Purdue
Blaze Alldredge Rice
Riley Cole South Alabama
Garret Wallow TCU
Henry To’o To’o Tennessee
Joseph Ossai Texas
Anthony Hines Texas A&M
Buddy Johnson Texas A&M
Riko Jeffers Texas Tech
Carlton Martial Troy
Devin Lloyd Utah
Dimitri Moore Vanderbilt
Charles Snowden Virginia
Rayshard Ashby Virginia Tech
Joe Tryon Washington
Jahad Woods Washington State
Treshaun Hayward Western Michigan
Jack Sanborn Wisconsin

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