2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List Issued

2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List Issued

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Comeback-Player.com

CoSIDA Members: There will be another Mayo Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List generated. Please be sure to email nominations for the next Watch List to CFBComebackPOY@gmail.com. The deadline for nominations is Friday, November 20.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, released its initial watch list of college football student-athletes under consideration for the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List includes 53 players from 44 schools.

Since 2018, a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated have recognized 30 college football student-athletes each season from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury or illness, by sharing their remarkable comeback stories throughout the season. At the conclusion of the season, three college football student-athletes were honored as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award winners during an on-field presentation at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl.

There have been many changes to college football, this season, so rather than recognize college football student-athletes from all divisions of play each week during the season, several watch lists of Division 1 football student-athletes playing in the fall are being issued throughout the season. The three overall winners will be announced timed with the 2020-21 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, held on January 2, 2021. 

The initial watch list includes the following breakdown per conference: American Athletic Conference (3), Atlantic Coast Conference (7), Big 12 (4), Big Ten (6), Conference USA (4), Independent (2), Mid-American (4), Mountain West (3), Pac-12 (5), Southeastern Conference (9), Sun Belt (6).
 
Conference Player School
AAC Charles McLelland, RB Jr. Cincinnati
AAC Sean Dykes, TE, Sr. Memphis
AAC McKenzie Milton, QB, Sr. Central Florida
ACC Jarrid Williams, OL, Sr. Miami
ACC Jarrett Gardner, WR, So. Duke
ACC Jashuan Corbin, RB, Jr. Florida State
ACC Kenny Cooper, C, Sr.  Georgia Tech
ACC Tre Tipton, WR, Sr. Pittsburgh
ACC Rashad Weaver, DE, Sr. Pittsburgh
ACC Darius Bratton, CB, Jr. Virginia
BIG 12 Tre Norwood, DB, Jr. Oklahoma
BIG 12 Jack Anderson, OL, Sr.  Texas Tech.
BIG 12 Justin Hughes, LB, Sr.  Kansas State
BIG 12 Tylan Wallace, WR, Sr.  Oklahoma State
BIG Ten Mike Epstein, RB, Sr. Illinois
BIG Ten Marquez Beason, CB, So. Illinois
BIG Ten Coy Cronk, OL, Sr.  Iowa
BIG Ten Jake Funk, RB, Sr.  Maryland
BIG Ten Jeshaun Jones, WR, Sr. Maryland
BIG Ten Rondale Moore, WR, So. Purdue
C-USA Brontae Harris, CB, Sr.  UAB
C-USA DeVaughn Cooper WR, Sr.  UTEP
C-USA Eric Kenzidor, DL, Sr.  Louisiana Tech
C-USA Jakairi Moses, RB, Jr.  Western Kentucky
Independent Daelin Hayes, DE, Sr. Notre Dame
Independent Bennett Skowronek, WR, Sr.  Notre Dame
Mtn. West Ezekiel Noa, LB, Jr. Boise State
Mtn. West Jordan Mims, RB, Jr. Fresno State
Mtn. West Brandt Hughes, QB, Jr.  New Mexico
MAC Andrew Clair, RB, Jr. Bowling Green
MAC Evan Finegan, P, Jr.  Buffalo
MAC Kyle Pugh, LB, Sr.  Northern Illinois
MAC Bryce Harris, C, Sr.  Toledo
Pac-12 Jack Broussard, RB, So. Colorado
Pac-12 Chris Miller, CB, Jr. Colorado
Pac-12 Cade Cote, OL, Sr. Arizona State
Pac-12 Jake Bentley, QB, Sr.  Utah
Pac-12 Andrzej Hughes-Murray, LB, Sr. Oregon State
SEC Dylan Moses, LB, Jr. Alabama
SEC Trey Sanders, RB, So. Alabama
SEC Feleipe Franks, QB, Sr.  Arkansas
SEC Noah Gatlin, OL, So. Arkansas
SEC Ali Stove, WR, Sr.  Auburn
SEC JT Daniels, QB, So. Georgia
SEC Terry Wilson, QB, Sr.  Kentucky
SEC Kenneth Horsey, OL, So. Kentucky
SEC Collin Hill, QB, Sr. South Carolina
Sun Belt Camerun Peoples, RB, So. Appalachian State
Sun Belt Ryan Graham, RB, Jr.  Arkansas State
Sun Belt Logan Wright, RB, Jr. Georgia Southern
Sun Belt Brian Miller, OT, Jr. Georgia Southern
Sun Belt Ken Marks, OL, Sr.  Louisiana
Sun Belt BJ Smith, RB, Sr.  Troy

“Our goal is to help fans better appreciate the roads these student-athletes have traveled. says Doug Vance, executive director of CoSIDA. “We hope these stories of achievement can inspire other people to meet the challenges in their own lives.”

Previous winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award have been: 2018 - Antwan Dixon (Kent State University), Seth Simmer (Dartmouth College); Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman University); 2019 – Jake Luton (Oregon State University); Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern University) and Octavion Wilson (Salisbury University). For a complete list of past honorees, visit www.Comeback-Player.com.

About Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news and Mayo Clinic Facts for more information about Mayo.

About CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America): CoSIDA was founded in 1957 and is a 3,000+ member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications/information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. To learn more, visit cosida.com.

About Associated Press: The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the web: www.ap.org.

About the Fiesta Bowl Organization: Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education. On the web: FiestaBowl.org.
 
Media Contacts:
Doug Drotman, doug@drotman-pr.com or (631) 462-1198
Doug Vance, CoSIDA dougvance@cosida.com or (785) 691-7708