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Ryan Hubley of Johns Hopkins; Ricky Miezan of Stanford; and Cameron Rising of Utah Named 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Nominees
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, has selected three college football student-athletes —
Ryan Hubley, a senior wide receiver for Johns Hopkins University;
Ricky Miezan, a senior linebacker for Stanford University; and
Cameron Rising, a sophomore quarterback for the University of Utah — as nominees for the
2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Ten times during the 2021 college football season, three inspiring student-athletes from all levels of college football who have overcome injury, illness, or other challenges, are recognized as
Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominees by a panel of writers, editors, and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and
Touchdown Illustrated. In December, three of the 30 nominees will be chosen as winners of the
Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award and recognized at a special ceremony during the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Other nominees so far this season are
Terrel Bernard (LB, Baylor);
Yohance Burnett (LB, Tulsa);
Noah Cain (RB, Penn State);
Sean Chambers (QB, Wyoming);
Jack Coan (QB, Notre Dame);
Tobias Harris (DB, West Texas A&M);
Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan);
Brian Kearns, Jr (RB, Stonehill College);
Alex Keith (DL, Washington & Jefferson College);
Cole Maxwell (DL, Baylor);
McKenzie Milton (QB, Florida State);
John Mitchell (TE, Florida Atlantic);
Jeremiah Moon (LB, Florida);
Patrick Paul (OL, Houston);
Reggie Roberson, Jr (WR, SMU);
Justyn Ross (WR, Clemson);
Avery Samuels (OL, Stetson);
Corey Sutton (WR, Appalachian State);
Skylar Thompson (QB, Kansas State); and
J.J. Weaver (LB, Kentucky).
Here’s a look at the inspiring stories of this week’s three honorees:
Ryan Hubley, a wide receiver for Johns Hopkins University, was on pace in 2019 to surpass his remarkable 83-catch sophomore campaign when, in the sixth game of the season he fractured his right fibula and left collarbone on the same play. Although the two-time All-Centennial Conference receiver avoided surgery, the injuries made rehabilitation especially challenging since he couldn't put weight on his injured leg or use crutches due to the sling needed to support his fractured collarbone. The Malvern, Pennsylvania native had more than 20 months to rehabilitate. And when he returned, the 5-foot-7, 165-pound graduate-student picked up right where he left off with 100-yards receiving in two of the first three games this season. Through eight games for the 7-1 Blue Jays, he has 52 receptions for 651 yards and three touchdowns. This brings his career totals to 2,380 yards and 14 touchdowns on 205 receptions, good for 6th in school history.
Ricky Miezan, a senior inside-linebacker for Stanford University, was limited to just seven games played in his first three seasons due to a pair of season-ending injuries. He was injured in the second game of the 2019 season versus USC and in 2020 when suffered a season-ending injury in the opener at Oregon. The 6-foot-2, 247-pound native of Alexandria, Virginia won the starting inside-linebacker position this season. Through eight games he ranks second on the team with 50 tackles, leads the Cardinal with five tackles-for-a-loss, and has recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery. He posted eight tackles in a game three times – in the season-opener versus Kansas State, and against Oregon and Washington State.
Cameron Rising, a sophomore quarterback for the University of Utah, suffered a season-ending injury on just the fourth drive of his first college game last November versus USC. Following off-season surgery and extensive rehabilitation, he secured the back-up position behind Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer. With only one shortened career game and starting the season as a back-up, the Ventura, California native was voted a team captain by his teammates. After the Utes split their first two games this season, he took the field with the Utes trailing San Diego State 24-10 with 5:24 left in the third quarter and led an improbable comeback before falling 33-31 in triple overtime. The performance earned the 6-foot-2, 220-pound redshirt sophomore the starting position. On the season he's completed 116-181 passes (64%) for 1318 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He's also run for 300 yards and three touchdowns on just 38 carries in leading the Utes to four wins in their last five games and four straight games with over 450 yards of total offense.
Past winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award have included:
2018 – Antwan Dixon (Kent State), Seth Simmer (Dartmouth), Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman);
2019 – Jake Luton (Oregon State), Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern), Octavion Wilson (Salisbury University);
2020 – Jarek Broussard (Colorado), Kenneth Horsey (Kentucky) and Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina). For a complete list of past honorees and additional details on their remarkable comeback stories, visit
www.Comeback-Player.com; follow via Twitter at
@ComebackPlayrFB via the hashtag #MayoClinicCPOY; and on Instagram at
@Comeback_Player_CFB. Mayo Clinic does not have any role in selecting the nominees or winners of the award.
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. For information on COVID-19, including Mayo Clinic's Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has 14-day forecasting on COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center
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.
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 (dougvance@cosida.com or 785-691-7708)