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The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of 52 “players to watch” for its 2022 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
There are 44 offensive players (22 quarterbacks, 12 running backs and 10 receivers/tight ends) on the preseason watch list along with eight from the defensive side of the ball.
Players from 40 different schools representing 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the preseason watch list. Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State each have three players on the watch list, while four schools (Kentucky, USC, Texas, and Iowa State) have two.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president Tony Mortali said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
Former Michigan State and current Seattle Seahawk rookie running back Kenneth Walker III was the 2021 Walter Camp Player of Year.
he 2022 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2022 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 on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show (date TBD).
The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 55th annual national awards banquet in New Haven, Conn in early 2023.
Please note: Appearing on the preseason Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-America team.
2022 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch
Jordan Addison, WR, junior, USC
Rasheen Ali, RB, sophomore, Marshall
Braelon Allen, RB, sophomore, Wisconsin
Will Anderson, LB, junior, Alabama
Kayshon Boutte, WR, junior, LSU
Brock Bowers, TE, sophomore, Georgia
Andre Carter II, LB, junior, Army West Point
Jalen Carter, DT, junior, Georgia
Dante Cephas, WR, junior, Kent State
Sean Clifford, QB, senior, Penn State
Blake Corum, RB, junior, Michigan
Malik Cunningham, QB, senior, Louisville
JT Daniels, QB, junior, West Virginia
Josh Downs, WR, junior, North Carolina
Dillon Gabriel, QB, junior, Oklahoma
Brett Gabbert, QB, junior, Miami (Ohio)
Jake Haener, QB, senior, Fresno State
Jaren Hall, QB, junior, BYU
Frank Harris, QB, senior, UTSA
Sam Hartman, QB, senior, Wake Forest
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, sophomore, Ohio State
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, senior, Iowa State
Quentin Johnston, WR, junior, TCU
Phil Jurkovec, QB, senior, Boston College
Calijah Kancey, DT, junior, Pittsburgh
Devin Leary, QB, junior, North Carolina State
Will Levis, QB, senior, Kentucky
Grayson McCall, QB, senior, Coastal Carolina
Will McDonald IV, DE, senior, Iowa State
Michael Mayer, TE, junior Notre Dame
Tanner Mordecai, QB, senior, SMU
Lew Nicholls, RB, sophomore, Central Michigan
Aiden O’Connell, QB, senior, Purdue
Spencer Rattler, QB, junior, South Carolina
Eli Ricks, DB, junior, Alabama
Kelee Ringo, DB, sophomore, Georgia
Brad Roberts, RB, senior, Air Force
Bijan Robinson, RB, junior, Texas
Chris Rodriquez, RB, senior, Kentucky
Spencer Sanders, QB, senior, Oklahoma State
Noah Sewell, LB, junior, Oregon
Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, junior, Ohio State
C.J. Stroud, QB, sophomore, Ohio State
Tavion Thomas, RB, junior, Utah
Payton Thorne, QB, junior, Michigan State
Cedric Tillman, WR, senior, Tennessee
Sean Tucker, RB, sophomore, Syracuse
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, sophomore, Miami (Fla.)
Deuce Vaughn, RB, junior, Kansas State
Caleb Williams, QB, sophomore, USC
Xavier Worthy, WR, sophomore, Texas
Bryce Young, QB, junior, Alabama
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 (www.waltercamp.org) – 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.
The Walter Camp Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The Walter Camp Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period. Sixteen of the association’s 25 awards are presenting their preseason watch list during this time as the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2022 preseason watch list calendar:
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives on the FWAA website.