Van Noy named to Walter Camp Football Foundation 2013 Player of the Year “Watch List”

BYU senior selected as one of 50 players to watch

PROVO, Utah – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of 50 “players to watch,” including BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, for its 2013 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.

In addition to the Walter Camp recognition, Van Noy has also been named to watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy as one of the nation’s top players entering the 2013 season. Coming off an All-America season in 2012, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound outside linebacker finished tied for second nationally with 13 sacks and six forced fumbles and ranked No. 4 in the nation with 22 tackles for loss. From Reno, Nev., he is the only FBS player in each of the past two seasons to record a stat in every major defensive category and has helped BYU achieve bowl wins each of his three seasons in Provo.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, a finalist for the 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year award, headlines the 2013 watch list.  Manziel, a first-team Walter Camp All-American a year ago, accounted for more than 5,000 yards of total offense and 47 touchdowns for the Aggies.

Twelve players on the 2013 watch list, including Arizona junior running back Ka’Deem Carey (1,929 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2012) and USC wide receiver Marqise Lee (118 receptions for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2012), have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors.

In all, 37 schools are represented on the list with defending national champion Alabama having four players.

The 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient was former Notre Dame and current San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o.

“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president James Monico said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November.  The 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 125 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12.  The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-American team.

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.

2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska

Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky

Dri Archer, RB, Kent State

Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

Kolton Browning, QB, Louisiana Monroe

Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA

Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona *

Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State

Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina *

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

David Fluellen, RB, Toledo

Phillip Gaines, DB, Rice

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

John Hubert, RB, Kansas State

Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas

Duke Johnson, RB, Miami Fla. #

Chuckie Keeton, QB, Utah State

Marqise Lee, WR, USC *

Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan *

Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois

Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M *

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M #

Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt

Venric Mark, RB, Northwestern

Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska

AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State

C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama *

Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia

Louis Nix III, DE, Notre Dame

Casey Pachall, QB, TCU

Keith Price, QB, Washington

Silas Redd, RB, USC

Bradley Roby, DB, Ohio State #

Tyler Russell, QB, Mississippi State

Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington

Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor

Yawin Smallwood, LB, Connecticut

Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State #

Tyler Tettleton, QB, Ohio

De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon

Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech

Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame #

Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU

Jason Verrett, DB, TCU #

Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama

* 2012 Walter Camp First Team All-American

# - 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American