ORLANDO – The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Friday the names of 35 "players to watch" for its 2021 Player of the Year award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade, and UCF's Dillon Gabriel was among those honored.
There are 25 offensive players (13 quarterbacks, eight running backs and four receivers/tight ends) on the preseason watch list along with 10 from the defensive side of the ball.
"We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation," Foundation president Mario Coppola said. "This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football."
Former Alabama and current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith was the 2020 Walter Camp Player of Year.
The 2021 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 9. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation's 55th annual national awards banquet on January 15, 2022 in New Haven, Conn.
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 eleven 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 to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
Knights on Preseason Watch Lists
- July 19: Dillon Gabriel, Maxwell Award
- July 20: Dillon Gabriel, Davey O'Brien Award
- July 22: Jaylon Robinson, Biletnikoff Award
- July 27: Cole Schneider, Outland Trophy
- July 30: Dillon Gabriel, Walter Camp Award
Gabriel and the Knights will open preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 4 and will begin the 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Boise State at the Bounce House.