UCF tight end Kemore Gamble has been named to the 2022 preseason watchlist for the John Mackey Award that goes to the outstanding tight end in college football.
The Friends of John Mackey released that list today. The award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.
Gamble, a transfer from Florida, caught 48 passes for 632 yards and seven touchdowns in 49 career games with the Gators (31 for 414 and four TDs in 2021). The 6-4, 243-pound redshirt senior started 12 games at tight end for Florida in 2021 and had one reception for 15 yards in the Gasparilla Bowl against UCF. He helped Miami (Florida) Southridge High School to the 2016 Florida 8A state championship.
Here is the full list of names on the Mackey Award watchlist:
BROCK BOWERS, GEORGIA
CAMERON LATU, ALABAMA
JOHN SAMUEL, AUBURN
AUSTIN STOGNER, SOUTH CAROLINA
JAHEIM BELL, SOUTH CAROLINA
MICHAEL TRIGG, OLE MISS
DARNELL WASHINGTON, GEORGIA
ARIK GILBERT, GEORGIA
JACOB WARREN, TENNESSEE
BEN BRESNAHAN, VANDERBILT
MICHAEL MAYER, NOTRE DAME
ISAAC REX, BYU
SAM LaPORTA, IOWA
PAYNE DURHAM, PURDUE
ERICK ALI, MICHIGAN
LUKE SCHOONMAKER, MICHIGAN
BRENTON STRANGE, PENN STATE
BREVYN SPANN-FORD, MINNESOTA
LUKE FORD, ILLINOIS
THEO JOHNSON, PENN STATE
WILL MALLORY, MIAMI
MARSHON FORD, LOUISVILLE
DAVID ALLEN, CLEMSON
CAMREN McDONALD, FLORIDA
BLAKE WHITEHART, WAKE FOREST
GEORGE TAKACS, BOSTON COLLEGE
GAVIN BARTHOLOMEW, PITTSBURGH
BENJAMIN YUROSEK, STANFORD
TERRANCE FERGUSON, OREGON
BRADY RUSSELL, COLORADO
MICHAEL EZEIKE, UCLA
DALTON KINCAID, UTAH
LUKE MUSGRAVE, OREGON STATE
DEVIN CULP, WASHINGTON
MALCOLM EPPS, USC
BEN SIMS, BAYLOR
BAYLOR CUPP, TEXAS TECH
MIKE O'LAUGHLIN, WEST VIRGINIA
BRAYDEN WILLIS, OKLAHOMA
Ja'TAVION SANDERS, TEXAS
CHRISTIAN TRAHAN, HOUSTON
TYRICK JAMES, TULANE
JOSH WHYLE, CINCINNATI
RYAN JONES, EAST CAROLINA
LEONARD TAYLOR, CINCINNATI
KEMORE GAMBLE, UCF
MARK REDMAN, SAN DIEGO STATE
SAM OLSON, SAN JOSE STATE
KRIS LEACH, KENT STATE
CHRISTIAN SIMS, BOWLING GREEN
JOHNNY LUMPKIN, LOUISIANA
OSCAR CARDENAS, UTSA
RIVALDO FAIRWEATHER, FIU
JOSHUA SIMON, WKU
Mackey was one of the great leaders in NFL history, on and off the field. He was a Hall of Fame player who redefined his position—and a courageous advocate for his fellow NFL players as head of the NFL Players Association. The legacy he leaves behind was also pushed forward by his wife, whose three-page letter to then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue in 2006 led to the "88 Plan" (88 was Mackey's uniform number) and that created significant financial assistance for former players battling dementia.
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As a player, Mackey revolutionized the tight end position when he entered the NFL with the Baltimore Colts in 1963. Regarded as one of the all-time greats to have ever played the tight end position, Mackey played in the NFL for 10 years and elected to the Pro Bowl five times. He was a three time All-NFL Player and named to the NFL's All Decade Team and to the league's 50th Anniversary Squad. He also played in two NFL Championship games and two Super Bowls, including the Baltimore Colts' win in Super Bowl V. He utilized this platform to expand free agency rights, increase pension benefits and improve injury protection programs for all NFL players.