Via Last Word on College Football, by Rob Gritzer
The 2016 College Football season ended this week, and now the bowl games are about to begin. The NCAA‘s best players will be accepting their awards for their respective positions. Most of these players on this list have one more game before they head off to the NFL Combine to show teams their worth. Our LWOS College Football Staff decided to vote on who we thought deserved awards for their individual efforts. Our staff voted on 13 categories ranging from the Best College Football Player to the Most Inspirational Player. Here are the LWOS Season Awards results.
LWOS Season CFB Awards
Best Player in College Football: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Choices: Lamar Jackson, Louisville; Deshaun Watson, Clemson; Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State; Jabrill Peppers, Michigan; Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
Even with losing the last two games of the season, Lamar Jackson still had the best season of any college football athlete by far. Jackson ended the season with 4,928 total yards, 51 touchdowns, and only 14 turnovers. Louisville‘s season may not have gone as well as they hoped but they will still have Jackson at least for one more season. After next season, Jackson will likely go to the NFL Draft.
Best Quarterback in College Football: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Choices: Lamar Jackson, Louisville; J.T. Barrett, Ohio State; Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech; Jake Browning, Washington; Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Jackson is known for his versatility, but he still shines as a passer. He shines so much that 15 of our 17 voters chose him as the best quarterback in college football. Jackson completed 57.6% of his passes in 2016 and averaged 8.9 yards per attempt. This along with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 30-9 proved to our voters that he is the best quarterback in the NCAA.
Best Running Back in College Football: Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State
Choices: Brian Hill, Wyoming; Christian McCaffrey, Stanford; Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State; D’Onta Freeman, Texas; Dalvin Cook, Florida State
Senior Donnel Pumphrey did about everything he could this season to help San Diego State to a 10-3 record. Pumphrey had 1,908 rushing yards, averaging 6.3 per carry and scoring 15 times this season. He is currently 5th All-time in rushing yards in a career and is less than 100 yards from being 4th. Pumphrey was only held under 100 rushing yards three times this season, and all three were his lowest carry totals of the season, and two were losses. Pumphrey was overshadowed by Jackson for the Best Player in College Football but certainly still deserves some recognition.
Best Wide Receiver in College Football: Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
Choices: Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma; Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech; Amba Etta-Tawo, Syracuse; Zay Jones, ECU; Ryan Switzer, UNC
Dede Westbrook was held off the Mid-Season Awards list due to a slow start, but his second half of the season made it clear that he was the best receiver in the country. Westbrook ended the season with 70 receptions for 1,354 yards and 15 touchdowns. Excluding the first three weeks, Westbrook was able to tally at least 100 receiving yards in all but one game. He also proved his deep ball ability with a reception of at least 40 yards in his last nine games. Whoever drafts the senior this year in the NFL Draft will certainly be getting a great receiver in Westbrook.
Best Tight End in College Football: Jake Butt, Michigan
Choices: Evan Engram, Ole Miss; Gerald Everett, South Alabama; Adam Breneman, UMass; Hayden Hurst, South Carolina; Jake Butt, Michigan
Senior Jake Butt was not able to win as easily as the Mid-Season Awards but nonetheless, is still the LWOS Best Tight End in College Football. Butt ended the season with 43 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns. Butt also received his second B1G Tight End of the Year Award this season. The senior’s best game of the season came in The Game where he tallied five receptions for 58 yards and was a key part of the Michigan offense to keep them alive for as long as they were.
Best Defensive Player in College Football: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Choices: Hunter Dimick, Utah; Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh; Micah Kiser, Virginia; Jabrill Peppers, Michigan; Jonathan Allen, Alabama
Jabrill Peppers in known for his versatility but was good enough to be voted as the LWOS Best Defensive Player in College Football. Peppers ended the season with 66 tackles, 13 for losses, three sacks, and an interception. He is a junior but could very well go to the NFL Draft this season. The hype surrounding him is so high that there is a good chance it will die down if he stays one more season.
Best Defensive Lineman in College Football: Jonathan Allen, Alabama and Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
Choices: Hunter Dimick, Utah; Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh; Jonathan Allen, Alabama; DeMarcus Walker, Florida State; Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
In the Mid-Season Awards, there were no ties. But in the final awards, there were two. The first was a tie between Jonathan Allen and Myles Garrett. Allen ended the season with 52 tackles, 11.5 for losses, seven sacks, and a defensive touchdown. Garrett ended the season with 32 tackles, 15 for losses, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Both players are worthy of the award and it is hard to distinguish between the two.
Best Linebacker in College Football: T.J. Watt, Wisconsin
Choices: Shaquem Griffin, UCF; Ryan Watson, Air Force; T.J. Watt, Wisconsin; Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt; Micah Kiser, Virginia
Junior T.J. Watt was able to sweep the LWOS Awards this season by almost repeating his statistics from the first half of the season. He had 59 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses, 10.5 sacks, and an interception returned for a touchdown. Watt will play at least one more game for the Badgers before deciding if he should go to the NFL Draft.
Best Defensive Back in College Football: Malik Hooker, Ohio State
Choices: Malik Hooker, Ohio State; Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State; Orion Stewart, Baylor; Desmond King, Iowa; Rasul Douglas, West Virginia
The sophomore safety was not able to match his four early interceptions but still had an amazing first year starting for Ohio State. Malik Hooker ended the season with six interceptions, three returned for touchdowns, and 67 tackles. Hooker has already made a name for himself, and the Buckeyes will look forward to Hooker leading their defense in the next few seasons. The Buckeyes are young, and if they are sitting at No. 2 in the country now, they may be building a dynasty soon.
Best Kicker/Punter in College Football: Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State and Daniel Carlson, Auburn
Choices: Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State; Daniel Carlson, Auburn; Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah; Cameron Johnston, Ohio State; Gary Wunderlich, Ole Miss
This is the second of the two ties from the LWOS Season Awards. Zane Gonzalez ended the season 23/25 on field goals and 39/40 on extra points. He was also 7/9 on field goals over 50 yards. Daniel Carlson was 26/30 on field goals, 43/43 on extra points, and 4/7 on field goals over 50 yards. This was the closest of any awards, with every player getting at least two votes.
Best Head Coach in College Football: Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
Choices: Bobby Petrino, Louisville; Mike Leach, Washington State; Jim Harbaugh, Michigan; P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan; Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
Mike MacIntyre had his first winning season with the Colorado Buffaloes at 10-3. He turned a program that never finished above 6th in the PAC-12 South to the PAC-12 Championship this season. The Buffs will look to repeat this type of season next year but hopefully with slightly better results, maybe even a Playoff Bid.
Most Versatile Player in College Football: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Choices: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford; Curtis Samuel, Ohio State; Jabrill Peppers, Michigan; Lamar Jackson, Louisville; Jahad Thomas, Temple
As mentioned earlier, Peppers was known for being versatile. Along with his defensive stats, Peppers had 29 offensive touches for 170 yards for three touchdowns. He also had 31 returns for 570 yards and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see what role Peppers takes in the NFL, as he is versed in several areas on the field.
Most Inspirational Player in College Football: James Conner, Pittsburgh
Choices: James Conner, Pittsburgh; Mitchell Meyers, Iowa State; Pharaoh Brown, Oregon
To no ones surprise, James Conner was able to sweep the Most Inspirational Player in College Football. Conner led the explosive Pittsburgh offense to 1,060 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns and four other receiving touchdowns. He ended the season with four of five 100+ yard rushing games with 11 touchdowns in those five games. Conner overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the off-season so finish out his junior year with a bang and could very well be taken in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft if he were to go this season.
These awards were voted upon in 13 different categories by the LWOS College Football Staff.
