Tag: FWAA

Michigan State football RB Kenneth Walker III named first team All-American by Football Writers Association of America

Michigan State football RB Kenneth Walker III named first team All-American by Football Writers Association of America

Another day, another huge honor for Michigan State football star running back Kenneth Walker III.

A day after winning the Walter Camp Player of the Year award along with the Doak Walker Running Back of the Year award, Kenneth Walker III has been named a first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.

This was an obvious outcome, but still a tremendous honor nonetheless for the transfer star.

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Texas Football: Joseph Ossai makes FWAA’s All-American first team

Joseph Ossai was named to the FWAA All-America First Team. He finished with 15.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, and three forced turnovers.

Going into the 2020 season, there was one player who was a home run on Texas’ defense, Joseph Ossai. The junior broke out during the 2019 Alamo Bowl game against Utah when he moved from outside linebacker to Jack. Throughout the year, he was consistently the best player for the Longhorns.

Ossai was named to the Football Writers Association of America All-America First Team. He finished with 15.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery before opting out of Texas’ bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

JaQuan Bailey of Iowa State was the only other Big 12 player to make the first team. He and Ossai were two of the best pass rushers within the conference this season, combining for 28.5 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks.

Here is the full first-team defense:

DL JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State 6-2 261 Sr Jacksonville, Fla.
DL Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina 6-2 260 Sr Aiken, S.C.
DL Daviyon Nixon, Iowa 6-3 305 Jr Kenosha, Wis.
DL Rashad Weaver, Pitt 6-5 270 Sr Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa 6-4 260 Jr Hominy, Okla.
LB Joseph Ossai, Texas 6-4 253 Jr Conroe, Texas
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame 6-1 215 Sr Hampton, Va.
DB Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati 6-2 188 So Detroit, Mich.
DB Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame 6-4 219 So Atlanta, Ga.
DB Tiawan Mullen, Indiana 5-10 176 So Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama 6-2 202 Jr Plantation, Fla.

Along with the Football Writers Association of America, Ossai was named to the AP’s first-team All-American team. Even when the Texas defense was struggling early in the year, the future first-round draft pick was able to excel against team’s best pass blockers.

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Notre Dame’s semifinalist for best lineman award

Notre Dame’s offensive line is a force and one of it’s key cogs was named a semi-finalist for the best lineman award on Monday.

Notre Dame’s offensive line has drawn praise seemingly week after week all season long and on Monday one of their own was named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy that is awarded annually to the best interior lineman, offensive or defensive, in all of college football.

Senior left tackle Liam Eichenberg made the cut with five others:

Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa

Eichenberg is the best of a very talented bunch that have helped Notre Dame dominate the time of possession game this year and has been key in three different running backs being able to rush for over 100 yards in a combined seven contests this year.

Eichenberg has also been nothing short of outstanding in pass protection as he hasn’t allowed a sack since Week 5 of 2018 according to Pro Football Focus.

Notre Dame has had three Outland Trophy winners in the 75 years of the award:  George Connor in 1946, Bill Fischer in 1948, and most recently Ross Browner in 1976.

Somehow Quenton Nelson was only voted as a semi-finalist in 2017.  Mike McGlinchey was a finalist the same year as the award was ultimately given to Ed Oliver of Houston.

The Outland Trophy, which has been awarded annually by the FWAA since 1946, is named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1800s. The Outland Trophy is the third-oldest award in major college football behind the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award.

Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams finds himself on another watchlist

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams has been earning the attention of the nation and found himself on a national award watchlist Thursday

Entering 2020 Kyren Williams was a relative unknown in a Notre Dame backfield that had plenty of names, but lacked any established running backs at the collegiate level.

Enter Williams who has totaled 1136 scrimmage yards this season and 13 touchdowns to boot.

He’s done all that for the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish as he’s caught much of the nation’s attention, including praise from LeBron James.

Now Williams finds himself on the FWAA Freshman All-American Watch List.

Notre Dame’s official release:

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame redshirt freshman running back Kyren Williams has been added to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American Watch List. The initial list, released in October, also included true freshman tight end Michael Mayer, who continues to be included on the watch list.

A four-time ACC Running Back of the Week in 2020, Williams has taken the college football scene by storm, totaling five 100-yard rushing performances. Through nine games, Williams has totaled 901 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 21 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown in the air. He leads the Irish in rushing, and his total receptions rank third on the team.

Williams leads all FBS freshman in rushing touchdowns (12) and total touchdowns (13), and ranks second among all FBS freshman in total rushing yards (901). Amongst ACC freshmen, Williams ranks first in scoring – TDs (8.7 points/game), second in rushing yards per game (100.1) and second in all-purpose yards (126.2/game).

Williams ranks in the Top 10 overall among all FBS players in rushing yards (seventh), rushing touchdowns (T-eighth) and total touchdowns (T-eighth). He ranks third in the ACC in rushing yards per game, fourth in scoring – TDs and sixth in all-purpose yards.

Of the Top 10 rushers in the ACC, which includes Williams, the Irish have faced five: Louisville’s Javian Hawkins, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Duke’s Mataeo Durant. Notre Dame’s defense has limited those five Top-10 running backs to an average of 34.2 yards (171 yards total on 57 carries) and just one total touchdown among the five. None of those backs accumulated more than 57 rushing yards. Hawkins, who leads the ACC with 102.8 rushing yards per game, was held to just 51 at Notre Dame. By comparison, against those four teams, Williams has averaged 125.8 yards (503 yards total on 90 carries), with a total of eight touchdowns.

Williams and Mayer join four other Notre Dame players, six total, in the past two seasons to be named to the watch list. Punter Jay Bramblett, defensive lineman Jacob Lacey and offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson made the initial list in 2019, and safety Kyle Hamilton was included in the 2019 midseason list. Hamilton was selected to the 2019 FWAA Freshman All-American Team.

Notre Dame football: Another award for Kyren Williams

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was the recipient of another award this week after his stellar showing against North Carolina.

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams has burst onto the national college football scene this fall as he’s gone over 1100 total yards while scoring 15 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish.

Part of the success is surely running behind a great offensive line but Williams has shown a talent level at running back that hasn’t been seen at Notre Dame in quite some time.

After his 124 rushing yards and three total touchdowns last week at North Carolina, Williams was named to the FWAA Fresh Four, which honors the best four freshmen or red-shirt freshmen each week.

Here is the release from Notre Dame on Tuesday:

Williams Named to FWAA Fresh Four

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was tabbed for the Football Writers Association of America “Fresh Four” list for his performance against No. 19 North Carolina. The list honors four true or redshirt freshmen with standout showings from the previous week. Williams, a redshirt freshman, totaled 144 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the 31-17 win over the Tar Heels.

Posting 23 rushes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, Williams, also named ACC Running Back of the Week, added four receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. His three total touchdowns ranked tied for third among all FBS players on the weekend. He was the only FBS player with three or more touchdowns this weekend to have at least one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown. His three touchdowns tied for most by a single ACC player (non-quarterback) on the weekend.

Williams’ 144 all-purpose yards were the most among any ACC running back on the weekend, and were the fourth-most among all ACC players. Ranking 16th among FBS running backs with his 144 all-purpose yards, Williams is the only running back who posted 122 or more all-purpose yards who also scored a receiving touchdown. Friday marked William’s fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, which ties for most in the ACC.

No FBS freshman had more than William’s 18 points on the weekend. Williams posted the most all-purpose yards (144) of any Power 5 freshman running back, and ranked third in all-purpose yards among all FBS freshman players on the weekend.

Williams and the Irish will again take the field Saturday, December 5, to close out their home schedule as they welcome Syracuse (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

Owusu-Koarmoah, White on Watch List for Bronco Nagurski Trophy

Hopes are high for Notre Dame’s defense in 2020, especially in the case of the linebacker corps.

Hopes are high for Notre Dame’s defense in 2020, especially in the case of the linebacker corps. Irish seniors Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White have been named to this year’s Bronco Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The award goes to college football’s top defensive player.

Owusu-Koramoah and White tied for the team lead in tackles last season (80), and both played in every game. Owusu-Koramoah had three nine-tackle games and was named to the ESPN All-Bowl Team after recording three sacks in the Camping World Bowl. He led the Irish with 13.5 tackles for loss in 2019.

White’s 11 tackles against Michigan were a Notre Dame high for last season. He also recorded 10 tackles apiece vs. Boston College and Navy. He finished 2019 with eight tackles for loss.

The watch list for the award can change throughout the season. In the end, five finalists will compete for the right to be named the National Defensive Player of the Year. The winner will be voted on by the FWAA All-America Committee.

Ryan Day wins the Football Writers’ First-Year Coach of the Year

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took home the Football Writers Association of America’s First-Year Head Coach of the Year.

So, it’s probably not the hardware Ohio State head coach Ryan Day really wanted, but it’s still a nice one to look back on one of these days. It’ll also look nice in whatever trophy case it sits in.

The Football Writers Association of America handed out some awards this week, and buried in all of the shenanigans was the fact that Day took home the FWAA’s First-Year Coach of the Year Award.

And it’s for good reason.

Day inherited a team with a first-year starter at quarterback, some key departures on the offensive line, and a defense in shambles. But more than anything, he had to replace a legend while performing in his shadows.

All Day did was guide Ohio State to an undefeated regular season that culminated in a third-straight Big Ten Championship. It resulted in a trip to the Fiesta Bowl as one of four teams in the College Football Playoff.

Obviously had Ohio State found a way to make good on some of its earlier opportunities in the red zone, and if some breaks and calls went the right way, Day may have been closer to getting more recognition for Coach of the Year.

Regardless, congrats on the award that is very well deserved. The early returns say the future is just as bright with Day at the helm as it was with Urban Meyer.

Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton Named FWAA Freshman All-American

Hamilton saw the playing field starting in Week One at Louisville and made an instant impact.

It was known fairly early on that Kyle Hamilton was going to be different for Notre Dame, in that they haven’t had an impact freshman defender quite like him in a while.

On Monday it was announced that Hamilton was named to the 2019-FWAA Shaun Alexander Freshman All-American Team.

Hamilton saw the playing field starting in Week One at Louisville and made an instant impact. He finished his freshman campaign with four interceptions, having returned one for a touchdown and 41 tackles, 27 of which were solo. He was also credited with six passes defended.

Quarterback Kedon Solvis of USC, running back Javian Hawkins of Louisville and linebacker Azeez Ojulari of Georgia were the three Notre Dame opponents from 2019 to also make the squad.

First year head coach Ryan Day of Ohio State was selected as the first-year head coach for the squad.