Several big names across college football earned recognition on Tuesday as preseason nominees for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. The award is given out annually to an outstanding Division I offensive player that meets one or more of the following conditions: The player was born in Texas, played high school football in Texas, or plays at a Texas-based college.
Proud to announce our 2017 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award preseason nominations: pic.twitter.com/8ZCpaSKVdV
— Earl Campbell Award (@CampbellAward) August 15, 2017
The award has been given out since 2013 under the legacy of Earl Campbell and recognition of his hometown of Tyler, Texas. Former Texas Longhorn and current Houston Texans running back D’Onta Foreman won last season’s award after rushing for over 2,000 yards last season. Here’s a breakdown of some of the nominees by position groups.
Quarterbacks
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Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (Channelview) and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (Lake Travis) were both among the five finalists in the running for the award last season. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett (Wichita Falls Rider), Colorado quarterback Steven Montez (El Paso Del Valle), and TCU quarterback Kenny Hill are among the other signal callers nominated for the award.
Running Backs
WACO – Kyle Hicks celebrates with teammates. Photo Credit: Gordon DeLoach, TexasHSFootball.com
TCU’s Kyle Hicks (Arlington Martin) and Ronald Jones II of USC (McKinney North) highlight the running back class in contention for the award. New Mexico State running back Larry Rose III (Fairfield) was also recognized as a nominee.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
A highly talented receiver class stands out on as nominees which include Texas A&M star Christian Kirk, Oklahoma State standout James Washington (Stamford), and SMU star and potential high draft pick Courtland Sutton. Houston senior Linell Bonner (Spring Dekaney) and Texas Tech teammates Dylan Cantrell (Whitehouse) and Keke Coutee (Lufkin) also top the list.
Offensive Linemen
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Finally, the offensive line class is led by Texas lineman Connor Williams (Coppell). Redshirt senior Austin Davis of Duke (Mansfield) and Utah’s Salesi Uhatafe are also among the nominees.
The list will be cut down to 16 semifinalists in November and later cut down to five finalists in December. The award will be given out after being selected by a committee of Texas-based journalists in January.
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