Senior quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named as one of 15 “Players to Watch” on Tuesday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation for its 2009 Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation. The list includes four quarterbacks, four running backs, four wide receivers and three defensive standouts.

 

“It’s been an exciting college football season with many teams and players still in the hunt for national recognition,” Foundation president Alphonse Paolillo, Jr. said. “We’ve identified some outstanding players and we know the final weeks of the regular season should be even more thrilling.”

 

A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented live on Thursday, Dec. 10, during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

 

The winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

 

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp - a former Yale University athlete and football coach - is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to 11 men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation - a New Haven-based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team.

 

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Players to Watch”

Toby Gerhart, Senior, RB, Stanford - 1,395 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns

Mardy Gilyard, Senior, WR, Cincinnati – Averaging over 180 all-purpose yardage a game

Jerry Hughes, Senior, DL, TCU – 13 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks

Mark Ingram, Soph., RB, Alabama – 1,297 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns

Case Keenum, Junior, QB, Houston – Leads nation with 4,194 passing yards and 31 touchdowns

Dion Lewis, Freshman, RB, Pittsburgh – 1,291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns

Rolando McClain, Junior, LB, Alabama – 77 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions

Colt McCoy, Senior, QB, Texas – Completing 72.3% of passes for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns

Kellen Moore, Soph., QB, Boise State – Leads nation with 172.49 passing efficiency

Jacquizz Rodgers, Soph., RB, Oregon State – 1,545 rushing & receiving yards and 18 touchdowns

Jordan Shipley, Senior WR, Texas – 81 receptions for 1,096 yards and 8 touchdowns

C.J. Spiller, Senior, WR/KR, Clemson – Averaging 195.2 all-purpose yards a game

Ndamukong Suh, Senior, DT, Nebraska – 14 QB hurries, 11 tackles for loss, 8 pass breakups and 5 sacks

Golden Tate, Junior, WR, Notre Dame – 1,174 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns

Tim Tebow, Senior, QB, FLORIDA – Has passed for 10 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more

 

-UF-