Saturday Blitz 2014 College Football Awards: Marcus Mariota, Scooby Wright Lead the Pack

Most Outstanding Tight End: Nick O’Leary*, Florida State Seminoles- 47 Receptions for 614 Yards and 6 Touchdowns

Awards: John Mackey Award

Talk about coming through when it matters. Nick O’Leary was always there as one of Jameis Winston’s top targets when things got tough for Florida State this year. Many of his catches were game-changers considering how close so many of the games were.

Consider that he did a tremendous job all season blocking for Karlos Williams and Dalvin Cook, and it’s clear that he deserves to be recognized as the top tight end.

Other Finalists: 

Clive Walford, Miami Hurricanes- 44 Receptions for 676 Yards and 7 Touchdowns

Picking up 676 receiving yards and being able to block for Duke Johnson should be enough, as a player, for Clive Walford to be the top tight end. But he was not the guy that always leaped off the screen in game-changing moments the way O’Leary did, which is why he can’t win the award.

Maxx Williams, Minnesota Golden Gophers- 29 Receptions for 471 Yards and 7 Touchdowns

As a blocker, Maxx Williams could also stake a claim to being the NCAA’s top tight end. And it’s not like he isn’t a very good pass-catcher too, considering that Minnesota doesn’t have much of a passing game. It wasn’t numbers that kept him down. Again, it was O’Leary’s performance in big moments.

*John Mackey Award Winner

Next: Most Outstanding Center