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Lombardi Award Finalists

Photo - Jerry Hughes - TCU

Texas Christian defensive end Jerry Hughes was nominated as one of four finalists for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award. The Rotary Lombardi Award is presented to the nation's top college football lineman (offense or defense) who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the discipline of Vince Lombardi. The other finalists are Terrence Cody (Alabama), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) and Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska). All four seniors rank in the top three pro prospects of their position and carry a first round grade in the NFL Draft 2010 by Frank Coyle and Draft Insiders.
Hughes was also a 2008 consensus All-American and has followed that up with 10 1/2 tackles for loss with nine sacks and is fourth on the Horned Frogs with 41 tackles this fall. He was named to all Midseason All-America teams (SI.com, DrafInsiders.com, CBSSports.com, Sporting News and Phil Steele). Hughes is also one of 16 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award and one of 20 quarterfinalists for the Lott Trophy.

Lombardi Award Finalists
DT Terrence Cody - Alabama
DE Jerry Hughes - Texas Christian
DT Gerald McCoy - Oklahoma
DT Ndaumkong Suh - Nebraska

Finalists will be in Houston for the Dec. 9 ceremony to announce the winner. Former Green Bay Packers standouts Bart Starr and Jerry Kramer will participate in the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award ceremonies as will Vince Lombardi Jr., son of the award's namesake. The voters for the Rotary Lombardi Award consist of all head coaches of NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams, former winners and finalists of the Rotary Lombardi Award and selected members of the media.

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc.

Walker and Lott Semifinalists Announced

Photo – DE Eric Norwood - South Carolina

Jacquizz Rogers Earns Walker Nominee
Oregon St University athlete Jacquizz Rodgers has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 20th annual Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top running back in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Rodgers was also named to the 16-player Maxwell Award (top overall player) semifinalist list last week.
The sophomore running back from Richmond, Texas is tied for second in the nation for touchdowns scored with 16 and is third in the Pac-10 Conf for rushing at 109.9 yards per game.
The 2008 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year (first freshman ever) is already fifth at OSU for career rushing yards with 2,242 in just 20 games. He has been named the Pac-10’s Offensive Player of the Week four times during his brief OSU stint, including after a career-high 189-yard four-touchdown performance against Stanford earlier this season.

Doak Walker Semifinalists

Donald Buckram (Jr., UTEP)
Jonathan Dwyer (Jr., Georgia Tech)
Toby Gerhart (Sr., Stanford)
Mark Ingram (So., Alabama)
Dion Lewis Freshman Pittsburgh
Ryan Mathews (Jr., Fresno St)
Jacquizz Rodgers (So., Oregon St)
C.J. Spiller (Sr., Clemson)
Ben Tate (Sr., Auburn)
Ryan Williams (Redshirt-Fr., Virginia Tech)

The winner of the Doak Walker Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show Dec 10, 2009.

Lott Trophy Semifinalists

DE Sam Acho (Texas)
Safety Eric Berry (Tennessee)
DE Jerry Hughes TCU
Safety Taylor Mays (USC)
LB Rolando McClain (Alabama)
DT Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma)
DE Eric Norwood (South Carolina)
DT Ndaumkong Suh (Nebraska)

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc.

Semifinalists for Maxwell Award

Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski announced the 2009 Semifinalists for the 73rd Maxwell Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year The respective list includes a field of 16 candidates for the Bednarik Award

Photo – Noel Devine - W. Virginia

Frank Coyle
www.draftinsiders.com - Draft Insiders’ Digest –19th Season

Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award
All Semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order with the player's school, position and class designated.

Best, Jahvid, University of California Berkley, RB, JR
Clausen, Jimmy, Notre Dame, QB, JR
Devine, Noel, West Virginia University, RB, JR
Gerhart, Toby, Stanford University, RB, SR
Ingram, Mark, University of Alabama, RB, SOPH
Keenum, Case, University of Houston, QB, JR
LeFevour, Dan, Central Michigan University, QB, SR
Lewis, Dion, University of Pittsburgh, RB, FR
Matthews, Ryan, Fresno State University, RB, JR
McCoy, Colt, University of Texas, QB, SR
Moore, Kellen, Boise State University, QB, SOPH
Ponder, Christian, Florida State University, QB, JR
Rodgers, Jacquizz, Oregon State University, RB, SOPH
Shipley, Jordan, University of Texas, WR, SR
Tate Golden, Notre Dame, WR, JR
Tebow, Tim, University of Florida, QB, SR

The Maxwell Football Club will announce the winner of the 73rd Maxwell Award and the 15th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10,
2009. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Dinner, to be held on Friday, March 5, 2010 at the Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, N.J.

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc.

Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalists

Photo – LB Pat Angerer - Iowa

Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski announced the 2009 Semifinalists for the 15th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year The respective list includes a field of 16 candidates for the Bednarik Award

Semifinalists for the 15th Bednarik Award
Angerer, Pat, University of Iowa, LB, SR
Berry, Eric, University of Tennessee, DB, JR
Bowman, Navorro, Penn St University, LB, JR
Cody, Terrence, Alabama, DL, SR
Curran, Rennie, University of Georgia, LB, JR
Hughes, Jerry, Texas Christian University, DL, SR
Jones, Greg, Michigan St University, LB, JR
Mays, Taylor, University of Southern California, DB, SR
McClain, Rolando, University of Alabama, LB, JR
McCoy, Gerald, University of Oklahoma, DL, SR
Miller, Von, Texas A&M, DL, JR
Norwood, Eric, University of South Carolina, LB, SR
Price, Brian, UCLA, DL, JR
Schofield, O'Brien, University of Wisconsin, DL, SR
Spikes, Brandon, University of Florida, LB, SR
Suh, Ndamukong, University of Nebraska, DL, SR
.
The announcement of the winner of the Bednarik Award will be made during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show that will be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 23, 2009 and a second round of voting will take place at that time.

Frank Coyle is a longtime Member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for the Super 16 College Team Polls throughout the season that will present Grantland Rice award to the national champion in January 2010. He is also a voter for Players of the Week and for the FWAA All-American teams at the conclusion of each season.

Jim Thorpe Award 2009 Semi-Finalists

Photo - Taylor Mays - Southern Cal

The Jim Thorpe Award Screening Committee has announced 12 semi-finalists for the award given annually to the nation’s best college defensive back. This list will be narrowed again on November 23, to three finalists who will be invited to the nationally telecast Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on December 10. The winner will be announced on the show and the official presentation will be at a formal banquet in Oklahoma City on February 9, 2010. The 2009 award marks the 24th presentation of the trophy, first won in 1986 by Baylor’s Thomas Everett.
Frank Coyle has been a Jim Thoroe award voter for the past 15 years

Last year’s winner was Ohio State University’s Malcolm Jenkins, now playing for the New Orleans Saints. Jim Thorpe Award winners are selected for performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

The 2009 Jim Thorpe Semi-Finalists:

Javier Arenas, Sr., Alabama
Eric Berry, Jr., Tennessee
Barry Church, Sr., Toledo
Perrish Cox, Sr., Oklahoma State
Joe Haden, Jr., Florida
Brandon Harris, So., Miami (FL)
Taylor Mays, Sr., USC
Tyler Sash, So., Iowa
Darrell Stuckey, Sr., Kansas
Earl Thomas, So., Texas
Alterraun Verner, Sr., UCLA
Kyle Wilson, Sr., Boise State

The Screening Committee was allowed only 12 candidates on the semi-finalist list, but determined five additional outstanding players deserved recognition and were given honorable mention status. They are Kam Chancellor, Sr., Virginia Tech; Ras-I Dowling, Jr., Virginia; Brian Jackson, Sr., Oklahoma; Rahim Moore, So., UCLA; and DeAndre McDaniel, Jr., Clemson

The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org.

Pro Prospects For NFL Draft 2010
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Photo - DE Eric Norwood - South Carolina

2009 Mid Season All-American First Team

Pos/ Player/ Class/ School
Offense
QB Tim Tebow - Sr. - Florida
RB Noel Devine - Jr. - West Virginia
RB Mark Ingram - Jr - Alabama
RB C.J. Spiller - Sr - Clemson
WR Jordan Shipley - Sr - Texas
WR Golden Tate - Jr - Notre Dame
WR Mardy Gilyard - Sr - Cincinnati
TE Dennis Pitta - Sr. - BYU
OT Russell Okung - Sr. - Oklahoma St
OT Anthony Davis - Jr. - Rutgers
OG Mike Johnson - Sr. - Alabama
OG Jeff Byers - Sr. - USC
OC Maurkice Pouncey - Sr. - Florida

Defense
DE Eric Norwood - Sr. - South Carolina
DE Jerry Hughes - Sr. - TCU
DT Terrence Cody - Sr. - Alabama
DT Ndamukong Suh - Sr. - Nebraska
LB Brandon Spikes - Sr. - Florida
LB Sean Weatherspoon - Sr. - Missouri
LB Rolando McClain - Jr. - Alabama
LB Greg Jones - Jr - Michigan St
CB Joe Haden - Jr. - Florida
CB Perrish Cox - Sr. - Oklahoma St.
S Eric Berry - Jr - Tennessee
S Taylor Mays - Sr. - USC

Special Teams
K Leigh Tiffin - Sr. - Alabama
KR C.J. Spiller - Sr - Clemson
P Zoltan Mesko - Sr. - Michigan
PR Jordan Shipley - Sr. - Texas

John Mackey Midseason List

Photo - Dorin Dickerson - Pittsburgh

The 2009 John Mackey Award midseason watch list has been released by the Nassau County Sports Commission. Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2009 John Mackey winner will be announced on December 10, 2009. Other key dates include the announcement of the 2009 Mackey semi-finalists on November 16, 2009 and the announcement of the 2009 Mackey finalists on November 23, 2009.
Pittsburgh senior Dorin Dickerson, whose eight touchdown catches lead the entire country, has been named to the midseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, annually presented to the nation’s top tight end by the Nassau County Sports Commission.
Twenty-two players were named to the Mackey Award midseason list based on their performance during the first half of the 2009 season. Dickerson has enjoyed an exceptional campaign thus far with 27 receptions for 274 yards (10.1 avg.). His eight TD catches pace the Big East Conference and are tied for the national lead. He has scored at least one touchdown in five of Pitt’s seven games this year. He had a career-high three TDs in a 54-27 victory at Buffalo and two scores in the Panthers’ 35-10 win at Louisville. In Pitt’s dramatic come-from-behind 24-21win over Connecticut, he had a 27-yard TD catch that, following a 2-point conversion, tied the game at 21 with 7:35 left in the game. His TD helped wipe out a 15-point third-quarter deficit and set the stage for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
The 2009 John Mackey Award recipient will be selected by a vote of the award’s selection committee and announced on Dec. 10. Semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 16 and finalists on Nov. 23. Former Pitt tight end Kris Wilson, now a member of the San Diego Chargers, was a finalist for the John Mackey Award in 2003.
Pitt (6-1, 3-0 Big East) surged into the national polls this week, ranking No. 18 in Draft Insiders.com, #19 in the USA Today coaches poll and #20 by The Associated Press. The Panthers are No. 20 in the newly released Bowl Championship Series rankings. The Panthers will host Big East foe South Florida (5-1, 1-1) this Saturday at Heinz Field.

The John Mackey Award midseason watch list is an update from the preseason watch list. This list is meant to draw attention to tight ends in contention for the annual award based on their performance in the first half of the active season.

2009 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List

PLAYER / YR / SCHOOL
George Bryan - SO - NC St
Dorin Dickerson - SR - Pittsburgh
Ed Dickson - SR - Oregon
Charlie Gantt - JR - Michigan St
Riar Geer - SR - Colorado
Garrett Graham - SR - Wisconsin
Ladarius Green - SO - Louisiana
Aaron Hernandez - JR - Florida
Jeron Mastrud - SR - Kansas St
Anthony McCoy - SR - Southern Cal
Mike McNeil - JR - Nebraska
Kavario Middleton - SO - Washington
Tony Moeaki - SR - Iowa
Colin Peek - SR - Alabama
Dennis Pitta - SR - BYU
Andrew Quarless - JR - Penn St
Jesse Rack - SR - Buffalo
Kyle Rudolph - SO - Notre Dame
Weslye Saunders - JR - South Carolina
Cody Slate - JR - Marshall
Luke Stocker - JR - Tennessee
DJ Williams - JR - Arkansas

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