FORT WORTH, Texas – Arizona State rising sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels was one of 30 student-athletes named to 2020 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List, as announced by the Davey O'Brien Foundation on Tuesday.
After becoming the first true freshman quarterback in program history to start the first game of the season, Daniels would go on to be named a ESPN Freshman All-American after throwing for 2,943 yards (11th most in school history) and 17 touchdowns in 2019. Daniels, who ended the season with only two interceptions (the fewest in school history by a quarterback throwing 300 or more passes in a season), led ASU to eight victories in 2019, including wins at No. 18 Michigan State, at No. 15 Cal and vs. No. 6 Oregon. Daniels' five 300+ yard performances last season are tied with Andrew Walter (2004) and Rudy Carpenter (2005) for the most in a single season in ASU history. In addition to the ESPN honor, Daniels was also Pac-12 Honorable Mention Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and was a FWAA Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year semifinalist.
Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2020 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution. In keeping with the changing landscape of college athletics, new transfers were eligible to be included for the first time in the award's history.
The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Appearing on the preseason watch list is not a requirement for a player to win the award. This year, players who have been honored as weekly Davey O'Brien Great 8 recipients, as well as any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee, will be added to form the final midseason watch list on Tuesday, Oct. 20
Sixteen semifinalists selected from the final watch list will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tuesday, Nov. 24). The 2020 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN Thursday, Dec. 10, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The 44th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas.
After becoming the first true freshman quarterback in program history to start the first game of the season, Daniels would go on to be named a ESPN Freshman All-American after throwing for 2,943 yards (11th most in school history) and 17 touchdowns in 2019. Daniels, who ended the season with only two interceptions (the fewest in school history by a quarterback throwing 300 or more passes in a season), led ASU to eight victories in 2019, including wins at No. 18 Michigan State, at No. 15 Cal and vs. No. 6 Oregon. Daniels' five 300+ yard performances last season are tied with Andrew Walter (2004) and Rudy Carpenter (2005) for the most in a single season in ASU history. In addition to the ESPN honor, Daniels was also Pac-12 Honorable Mention Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and was a FWAA Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year semifinalist.
Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2020 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution. In keeping with the changing landscape of college athletics, new transfers were eligible to be included for the first time in the award's history.
The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Appearing on the preseason watch list is not a requirement for a player to win the award. This year, players who have been honored as weekly Davey O'Brien Great 8 recipients, as well as any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee, will be added to form the final midseason watch list on Tuesday, Oct. 20
Sixteen semifinalists selected from the final watch list will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tuesday, Nov. 24). The 2020 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN Thursday, Dec. 10, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The 44th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas.