Who are the early favorites to win the 2017 Walter Camp Award given annually to the nation’s top player.
The Walter Camp Award is one of the most prestigious in the college ranks and it’s given annually to the nation’s top player as voted on by FBS head coaches, according to the website.
On Friday afternoon, the award released its preseason watch list for the 2017 campaign and there were some big names to appear. It’s virtually impossible to pick favorites to win this award because so much can change throughout the year and it can go to both offensive and defensive players.
For example, a handful of worthy quarterbacks appeared such as Jake Browning (Washington), Deondre Francois (Florida State), last year’s winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Josh Allen (Wyoming), Sam Darnold (USC) and J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), among a few others.
There were a number of elite running backs named to watch as well as Penn State’s Saquon Barkley stands out as the clear leader with LSU’s Derrius Guice and Alabama’s Bo Scarbrough also looking to contend.
Only two receivers made the list, though, as James Washington (Oklahoma State) and Calvin Ridley (Alabama) were lumped in with the kick returners and special teams nominees.
If a defender were to take home the award this year, for the first time since Manti Te’o in 2012, my pick would be either Ed Oliver, Arden Key or Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Overall, the list is loaded with talent and if I had to make a choice of who would win the award, it’d be either Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield.
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