Army quarterback Trent Steelman runs for a 34-yard first-half touchdown against Navy in their 2011 contest. Steelman, now a senior, is one of about three dozen quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien Award watch list. (Associated Press photo by Evan Vucci)
When it comes to college football awards, it’s an honor just to be nominated.
The various award committees have passed out a lot of honors lately, with three of the most recent going to service academy members. Army quarterback Trent Steelman, with 34 career starts under his belt, was named one of 34 quarterbacks in contention for the Davey O’Brien award, given to the season’s top signal-caller. He talks about the honor with Sal Interdonato of the (Middletown, N.Y.) Times Herald-Record here. USC’s Matt Barkley is the odds-on favorite.
Steelman’s backfield-mate, junior running back Raymond Maples, was among 52 candidates named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, given to the nation’s top rusher. As this TH-R piece points out, Maples topped 1,000 yards on the ground last year and was among the nation’s best in yards per attempt.
Also on the Walker award list is Navy’s Gee Gee Greene, a senior who topped 500 yards on the ground last year and added four touchdown catches, according to this Navy release. Both Greene and Maples will get plenty of carries in option offenses, but neither is expected to challenge for the honor, likely going to Wisconsin’s Montee Ball or one of a handful of candidates from the Southeastern Conference.
Other Army watch-listers announced previously are sophomore Ryan Powis (Rimington Trophy; best center) and senior defensive end Zach Watts (Lott IMPACT Trophy; top defender, with consideration for off-field achievements). Read a recap here.
Get the full lists of QB and RB nominees from College Football Talk here and here. And don’t forget Air Force kicker Parker Herrington.
