Tag: Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard makes another big-time watch list

Man of the Year sure sounds good

While it looks like Notre Dame football’s starting quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] won’t be winning any awards for his play on the field, his exploits off the field are being noticed.

On Thursday the Irish signal caller was named to the [autotag]Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award[/autotag] watch list, an honor that is given out annually to the FBS football player “who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field” according to their website.

While the award has not been around for many years, it’s still a great honor to obtain. No Notre Dame player has yet to win this award, so hopefully Leonard can be the first of many Irish players to do so.

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Sean Clifford named finalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is one of three finalists for Collegiate Man of the Year

College football’s award season extravaganza may have been last week, but there is still a chance for Penn State quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] to be awarded some hardware. On Thursday, the finalists for this season’s Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award were announced, and Clifford was among the three finalists left standing.

Clifford is joined by Deslin Alexandre of Pittsburgh and Alex Forsyth of Oregon as finalists for the award.

“Deslin Alexandre, Sean Clifford and Alex Forsyth have all demonstrated exceptional leadership on and off the field and set the standard for what being a student-athlete is all about,” Jason Witten said in a released statement. “It’s nearly impossible to choose just three from all of the great players nominated. There are so many great representatives for college football, and I commend all of the nominees for the tremendous example of leadership they set on the field, on campus and in the community.”

The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award is presented annually to a player who demonstrates exemplary leadership on and off the field. It is presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb. Clifford is looking to become the second Big Ten player to win the award in its sixth year. Last year’s recipient of the award was Kentucky’s Joshua Paschal.

Other previous winners include Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D’Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018, Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019, and Sam Ehlinger of Texas in 2020.

This season’s winner will be announced on February 23, 2023 at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas.

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Derick Hall makes leadership award semifinals list

Hall is one of 20 semifinalists and one of two SEC representatives.

Edge rusher [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] has been nominated for an award that showcases his talents on and off the field.

Hall was nominated as a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which focuses on leadership skills on and off the football field. Hall is one of 20 semifinalists for the award.

Hall is one of only two SEC semifinalists for the award, as Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the only other representative for the conference. The winner of the award receives a $10,000 donation in their name to the school’s scholarship fund, so there is certainly an incentive to win the award aside from pure prestige.

As a senior, Hall has been with the team for four years and has started for three of them. As such, there has been plenty of time for him to establish his leadership across the defense and the team as a whole.

The semifinalist list will be narrowed down to three players on Dec. 14 and the winner will be announced two months later on Feb. 23, 2023.

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