The Deseret News is tracking the release of this year’s college football preseason watch lists. Come back for updates on what Utah ties make the lists for the sport’s top awards.
Davey O’Brien Award
Nation’s best college quarterback
- Jaxson Dart, senior QB, Ole Miss: Dart, the former Roy High and Corner Canyon High quarterback, had his best college season in 2023. He finished the year completing 65.1% of his passes for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. Dart has thrown for 7,691 yards in his college career and could pass the 10,000-yard mark this season.
- Cameron Rising, senior QB, Utah: Rising missed all of the 2023 season due to injury, but he returns for his seventh year of college ball with high expectations. That’s because Rising helped lead Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 — over those two seasons, he threw for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions while also rushing for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns.
2023 Davey O’Brien Award winner: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1981): Jim McMahon, BYU (Roy High), 1981; Steve Young, BYU, 1983; Ty Detmer, BYU, 1990 and 1991
Comeback Player of the Year Award
Recognizing college football athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances
- Gerry Bohanon, senior QB, BYU: Bohanon’s rollercoaster career will have its final stop in Provo. He found success in four seasons at Baylor and led the Bears to the Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl win in 2021. The next year, though, he transferred to South Florida and has missed the past year and a half with a shoulder injury. He’s in contention to start for BYU this year.
- Lawrence Falatea, junior DE, Utah State: Falatea is a Utah native — he attended Alta High — and is returning to the state after transferring from Washington State. He missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL. Prior to that, he had a 2022 season where Falatea saw his role increase, and the hope is that development can continue in Logan.
- Brant Kuithe, senior TE, Utah: Kuithe has missed the better part of two years after suffering an ACL and meniscus tear four games into the 2022 season. Before that, he was a three-time All-Pac-12 tight end who’s had 148 career receptions for 1,882 yards and 16 touchdowns. The question will be whether he can return to form for the Utes after being such a reliable offensive weapon from 2019-21.
- Spencer Petras, senior QB, Utah State: For Petras, a shoulder injury marred the end of his time at Iowa and now he comes to Utah State, where he’s already been declared the Aggies’ starter. Petras spent the past six years in the Hawkeyes’ program and has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career.
- Cameron Rising, senior QB, Utah: Rising missed all of the 2023 season due to injury, but he returns for his seventh year of college ball with high expectations. That’s because Rising helped lead Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 — over those two seasons, he threw for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions while also rushing for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Hinckley Ropati, senior RB, BYU: Before Ropati was forced to miss the 2023 season due to injury, he showed some promise and the ability to take on a larger role at the tail end of the 2022 season. That included running for a career-high 85 yards in a win over Stanford, just weeks after scoring a critical receiving touchdown in a win at Boise State. Now, he could relied on heavily this year.
2023 Comeback Player of the Year Award winner: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Previous local winners (first awarded in 2018): None
Doak Walker Award
Nation’s premier college running back
- Rahsul Faison, senior RB, Utah State: In his first year in Logan after a standout season at Snow College, Faison started three games and played in all 13 to help power the Aggies’ running game in 2023. He finished the year with 736 yards and five touchdowns, with a 6.2 yards-per-game average, and added 52 receiving yards.
- LJ Martin, sophomore RB, BYU: Martin stepped in as a true freshman last year and made an impact for the Cougars in their first season in the Big 12. He ended up leading BYU with 518 rushing yards on 109 carries — 4.7 per-carry average — and scored four rushing touchdowns. Martin also had 45 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
2023 Doak Walker Award winner: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1990): Luke Staley, BYU, 2001
Walter Camp Award
College football’s player of the year
- Jaxson Dart, senior QB, Ole Miss: Dart, the former Roy High and Corner Canyon High quarterback, had his best college season in 2023. He finished the year completing 65.1% of his passes for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. Dart has thrown for 7,691 yards in his college career and could pass the 10,000-yard mark this season.
- Cameron Rising, senior QB, Utah: Rising missed all of the 2023 season due to injury, but he returns for his seventh year of college ball with high expectations. That’s because Rising helped lead Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 — over those two seasons, he threw for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions while also rushing for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns.
2023 Walter Camp Award winner: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1967): None
Ray Guy Award
- Jack Bouwmeester, junior P, Utah: Bouwmeester was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award in 2023, when he earned first-team all-conference honors and averaged 45.5 yards on 55 punts. He had 20 punts downed inside the 20 and 19 punts went for 50-plus yards. Bouwmeester has been the team’s punter the past two years.
- Stephen Kotsanlee, senior P, Utah State: Kotlansee was named to the Ray Guy watch list for the second straight year. Last season, he averaged 43.4 yards per punt and hit a career-long punt of 69 yards against Idaho State. Kotlansee has averaged 42.6 yards per punt in his career, fourth-best in school history.
2023 Ray Guy Award winner: Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
Previous local winners (first awarded in 2000): Tom Hackett, 2014 and 2015, Utah; Mitch Wishnowsky, 2016, Utah
Lou Groza Award
No Utah ties made the list.
2023 Lou Groza Award winner: Graham Nicholson, K, Miami (Ohio)
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1992): Matt Gay, 2017, Utah
Paul Hornung Award
Most versatile player in college football
- Parker Kingston, sophomore WR, BYU: After redshirting in 2022, Kingston made his presence known in a variety of ways for the Cougars last year. He made his biggest impact in the passing game — catching 19 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown — and also contributed in the run game and on special teams as a kick and punt returner.
2023 Paul Hornung Award winner: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Previous local winners (first awarded in 2010): None
Wuerffel Trophy
College football’s premier award for community service and athletic excellence
- Tao Johnson, sophomore S, Utah: Johnson had a breakout season in 2023, starting 12 of the 13 games he played in, with the primary part of his work coming at nickel back. He ended the year with 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, five pass deflections — second-most on the team — and a fumble recovery.
- Connor Pay, senior C, BYU: Pay is one of the most experienced veterans returning for BYU in the 2024 season. He’s started 32 games on the offensive line over the past three seasons, and Pay will again be expected to anchor the Cougars’ O-line during the Cougars’ second Big 12 year.
- Jacob Garcia, senior LS, Utah State: Garcia has been the Aggies’ long snapper since 2021, playing in 40 games over the past three seasons. He was an Academic All-Mountain West honoree in 2020 and 2021 and was named to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list last year.
2023 Wuerffel Trophy winner: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
Previous local winners (first awarded in 2005): None
Jim Thorpe Award
- Ike Larsen, junior S, Utah State: Larsen, a first-team All-Mountain West selection last year and a second-teamer the season before, burst onto the scene last year. He finished the 2023 season with 103 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions (including one he returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble, along with two blocks on special teams.
2023 Thorpe Award winner: Trey Taylor, S, Air Force
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1986): None
Nagurski Trophy
Nation’s best defensive player
- Jeffrey Bassa, senior LB, Oregon: Bassa, who prepped at Kearns High, has been a consistent performer for Oregon since his freshman year, and the 2023 season was the first year he started every game for the Ducks. In his 14 starts, he had a career-high 72 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections and an interception.
- Tyler Batty, senior DE, BYU: Batty, who’s started 32 games since joining the Cougars in the 2020 season, put up career numbers during his junior year. He ended the 2023 season with a career-high in tackles (57), tackles for loss (9), sacks (5.5) and forced fumbles (2). Batty, the lone BYU player named to the preseason All-Big 12 team, is looking to add on to his 15 career sacks.
- Ike Larsen, junior S, Utah State: Larsen, a first-team All-Mountain West selection last year and a second-teamer the season before, burst onto the scene last year. He finished the 2023 season with 103 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions (including one he returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble, along with two blocks on special teams.
- Junior Tafuna, senior DT, Utah: Tafuna is a three-year starter and three-time all-conference selection for the Utes. The 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year has 77 career tackles, with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Last year, Tafuna also had two pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
2023 Nagurski Trophy winner: Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1993): None
Outland Trophy
Nation’s best interior lineman
- Junior Tafuna, senior DT, Utah: Tafuna is a three-year starter and three-time all-conference selection for the Utes. The 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year has 77 career tackles, with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Last year, Tafuna also had two pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
2023 Outland Trophy winner: T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
10
Comments
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1946): Merlin Olsen, 1961, Utah State; Jason Buck, 1986, BYU; Mohammed Elewonibi, 1989, BYU; Penei Sewell, 2019, East High (Oregon)
Maxwell Award
- Jaxson Dart, senior QB, Ole Miss: Dart, the former Roy High and Corner Canyon High quarterback, had his best college season in 2023. He finished the year completing 65.1% of his passes for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. Dart has thrown for 7,691 yards in his college career and could pass the 10,000-yard mark this season.
- Cameron Rising, senior QB, Utah: Rising missed all of the 2023 season due to injury, but he returns for his seventh year of college ball with high expectations. That’s because Rising helped lead Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 — over those two seasons, he threw for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions while also rushing for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Jalen Royals, senior WR, Utah State: Royals, in his second season in Logan after transferring from junior college, had a breakout season in 2023. He finished with 71 receptions for 1,080 yards and a school-record 15 touchdown catches. That included four games with 100-plus receiving yards and four games with multiple touchdown receptions.
2023 Maxwell Award winner: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Previous local winners (first awarded in 1937): Ty Detmer, BYU, 1990