Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces Zaven Collins as one of 20 “Players to Watch” for the 2020 Player of the Year Award

NEW HAVEN, Conn. –– The University of Tulsa's Zaven Collins was named one of 20 Walter Camp Football Foundation "Players to Watch" for the 2020 Player of the Year award, the fourth oldest college football award in the nation.

The 20-player watch list includes eight quarterbacks, six running backs, six defensive players and two wide receivers/tight ends. Fourteen different schools and eight conferences are represented on the list.

A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player and for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker, the 6'4" junior from Hominy, Okla., has registered 51 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Two of Collins' four interceptions clinched wins for Tulsa, including a highlight-reel 96-yard pick six against Tulane in an overtime victory.

Collins earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors once each from the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Walter Camp Foundation this season. He has been named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week four times this year as well.

Earlier this week, Collins was unanimously chosen as The American Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to earn unanimous player-of-the-year honors.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. A list of five finalists will be announced on Monday, December 28, and the winner announced on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, January 7.

2020 Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalists
Ian Book, QB, Senior, Notre Dame
Zaven Collins, LB, Junior, Tulsa
Travis Etienne, RB, Senior, Clemson
Justin Fields, QB, Junior, Ohio State
Breece Hall, RB, Sophomore, Iowa State
Najee Harris, RB, Senior, Alabama
Tarron Jackson, DE, RS Senior, Coastal Carolina
Buddy Johnson, LB, Senior, Texas A&M
Mac Jones, QB, Junior, Alabama
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Junior, Clemson
Daviyon Nixon, DL, Junior, Iowa
Jaret Patterson, RB, Junior, Buffalo
Kyle Pitts, TE, Junior, Florida
Desmond Ridder, QB, Junior, Cincinnati
Mike Rose, LB, Junior, Iowa State
Kedon Slovis, QB, Sophomore, USC
Devonta Smith, WR, Senior, Alabama
Kyle Trask, QB, Senior, Florida
Shaun Wade, DB, RS Junior, Ohio State
Zach Wilson, QB, Junior, BYU

The 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year was former LSU (and current Cincinnati Bengals) quarterback Joe Burrow.

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

Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces Zaven Collins as one of 20 “Players to Watch” for the 2020 Player of the Year Award

Players Mentioned

Zaven Collins

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