Photo by: U.S. Air Force photo / Trevor Co
Air Force quarterback Isaiah Sanders on Wuerffel Trophy watch list
7/25/2019 10:58:00 AM | Football
Senior one of 86 in consideration for award honoring top community servant
Air Force senior quarterback Isaiah Sanders is one of 86 players on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list for 2019.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Sanders, who has a 3.86 grade point average and is majoring in human factors engineering, has been active in the football team as a motivational leaders while starting games each of the last two seasons. He serves as the team's community service representative, and has helped coordinate and participate in a service event where team members fix up a playground for a local childcare organization. He has also served as the cadet-in-charge of our Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group, which has reached up to approximately 50-60 cadets in attendance and meets weekly, by helping plan events and run weekly meetings.
Sanders is also the vice president of Undivided, a non-profit that focuses on strengthening communities and on helping community members create positive change in their spheres of influence. He has gone out in the community, whether at local high schools' FCA events, retreats, or the Academy's SPIRE groups, and performed personal spoken word pieces and/or presented biblically-related messages for an estimated 1,000-plus people within the past two years. He was also the keynote/featured speaker at a retreat for high schoolers looking to go deeper in their faith.
The SEC led all conferences with 14 players appearing on the 2019 watch list. Following the SEC is the PAC 12 with 11 players, the ACC with 10 and the Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA with 9 players each. The MAC submitted 7, the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference had 6 each while the American Athletic Conference had 3 players named to the list. All FBS Conferences are represented on the list, as were Independent representative Notre Dame and BYU (Army) with one nominee each.
Ten players return to the Watch List from 2018. They are: Malcolm Holland (Arizona), Derrick Brown (Auburn), Sean Pollard (Clemson), Adam Prentice (Colorado State), Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia), Matt Bahr (Kent State), Deuce Wallace (Louisiana), Blake Ferguson (LSU), Justin Herbert (Oregon) and Darren Woods, Jr. (UNLV).
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities' Sports Information Departments and will close on October 15. A current list of nominees can be found at www.wuerffeltrophy.org beginning on August 1. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 5 and finalists will be announced on November 18.
The formal announcement of the 2019 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's festivities in New York City on December 10. The presentation of the 2019 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 51st All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 14, 2020 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the award are: Rudy Niswanger - LSU - 2005; Joel Penton - Ohio State - 2006; Paul Smith - Tulsa - 2008; Tim Tebow - Florida - 2008; Tim Hiller - Western Michigan - 2009; Sam Acho - Texas - 2010; Barrett Jones - Alabama - 2011; Matt Barkley - USC - 2012; Gabe Ikard - Oklahoma - 2013; Deterrian Shackelford - Ole Miss - 2014; Ty Darlington - Oklahoma - 2015; Trevor Knight - Texas A&M - 2016; Courtney Love - Kentucky – 2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
2019 WUERFFEL TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY UNIVERSITY)
Isaiah Sanders, Air Force, Senior, QB
Chris Owens, Alabama, Junior, OL
Darrynton Evans, App State, Junior, RB
Malcolm Holland, Arizona, Senior, DB
Eno Benjamin, Arizona State, Junior, RB
Kyle Williams, Arizona State, Senior, WR
T.J. Smith, Arkansas, Senior, DL
Tajhea Chambers, Arkansas State, Junior, LB
Derrick Brown, Auburn, Senior, DL
Kole Bailey, Boise State, Junior, OL
Gabe Skrobot, Bowling Green, Junior, LS
Matt Otwinowski, Buffalo, Senior, LB
Uriah Leiataua, BYU, Junior, DL
Michael Saffell, Cal, Junior, OL
Tyriq Harris, Charlotte, Senior, DL
Sean Pollard, Clemson, Senior, OL
Silas Kelly, Coastal Carolina, Junior, LB
Adam Prentice, Colorado State, Junior, RB
Koby Quansah, Duke, Senior, LB
Brody Hoying, Eastern Michigan, Senior, DB
James Morgan, FIU, Senior, QB
Tyrie Cleveland, Florida, Senior, WR
DeCalon Brooks, Florida State, Sophomore, LB
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia, Senior, K
Rashad Byrd, Georgia Southern, Senior, LB
Jahaziel Lee, Georgia Tech, Senior, DL
Kaimana Padello, Hawai'i, Senior, DL
Bobby Walker, Illinois, Senior, TE
Nick Westbrook, Indiana, Senior, WR
Ray Lima, Iowa State, Senior, DL
Denzel Goolsby, Kansas State, Senior, DB
Matt Bahr, Kent State, Senior, LB
Landon Young, Kentucky, Junior, OL
Deuce Wallace, Louisiana, Senior, BD
Blake Ferguson, LSU, Senior, LS
Brenden Knox, Marshall, Sophomore, RB
Noah Barnes, Maryland, Junior, TE
Brady White, Memphis, Junior, QB
Zach McCloud, Miami, Senior, LB
Jack Sorenson, Miami (Ohio), Junior, WR
Cole Chewins, Michigan State, Senior, OL
Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee, Senior, LB
Winston DeLattiboudere, Minnesota, Senior, DL
Kobe Jones, Mississippi State, Junior, DL
Khalil Oliver, Missouri, Senior, DB
James Smith-Williams, N.C. State, Senior, DL
Ben Stille, Nebraska, Junior, DL
Lucas Weber, Nevada, Senior, LB
Teton Saites, New Mexico, Junior, OL
Josh Adkins, New Mexico State, Sophomore, QB
Jalen Elliott, Notre Dame, Senior, DB
Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma, Junior, LB
Mufu Tiawo, Old Dominion, Senior, DL
Mac Brown, Ole Miss, Junior, P
Justin Herbert, Oregon, Senior, QB
Dallas Warmack, Oregon, Senior, OL
Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State, Senior, LB
Tre Tipton, Pittsburgh, Senior, WR
Nick Leverett, Rice, Senior, OL
Parker Houston, San Diego State, Senior, TE
Josh Love, San Jose State, Senior, QB
Tyler Page, SMU, Junior, WR
Brian Ankerson, South Alabama, Junior, OL
Spencer Eason-Riddle, South Carolina, Junior, LB
Treyjohn Butler, Stanford, Senior, DB
Andrew Armstrong, Syracuse, Senior, LB
Kellton Hollins, TCU, Junior, OL
Matt Hennessy, Temple, Junior, OL
Ryan Johnson, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Trey Smith, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Sam Ehlinger, Texas, Junior, QB
Hunter "Hutch" White, Texas State, Senor, WR/ST
Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech, Senior, OL
Bryce Harris, Toledo, Senior, OL
B.J. Smith, Troy, Senior, RB
Jordan Johnson, UCF, Senior, OL
Darren Woods, Jr., UNLV, Senior, WR
Michael Pittman, USC, Senior, WR
Britain Covey, Utah, Junior, WR
Dominik Eberle, Utah State, Senior, K
Derron Gatewood, UTEP, Senior, OL
Andrew Martel, UTSA, Senior, LB
Andre Mintze, Vanderbilt, Junior, LB
Bryce Hall, Virginia, Senior, DB
Cade Carney, Wake Forest, Senior, RB
Nick Harris, Washington, Senior, OL
Frederick Mauigoa, Washington State, Senior, OL
Evan Staley, West Virginia, Junior, K
Tyler Witt, Western Kentucky, Junior, OL
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan, Senior, QB
Chris Orr, Wisconsin, Senior, LB
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Sanders, who has a 3.86 grade point average and is majoring in human factors engineering, has been active in the football team as a motivational leaders while starting games each of the last two seasons. He serves as the team's community service representative, and has helped coordinate and participate in a service event where team members fix up a playground for a local childcare organization. He has also served as the cadet-in-charge of our Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group, which has reached up to approximately 50-60 cadets in attendance and meets weekly, by helping plan events and run weekly meetings.
Sanders is also the vice president of Undivided, a non-profit that focuses on strengthening communities and on helping community members create positive change in their spheres of influence. He has gone out in the community, whether at local high schools' FCA events, retreats, or the Academy's SPIRE groups, and performed personal spoken word pieces and/or presented biblically-related messages for an estimated 1,000-plus people within the past two years. He was also the keynote/featured speaker at a retreat for high schoolers looking to go deeper in their faith.
The SEC led all conferences with 14 players appearing on the 2019 watch list. Following the SEC is the PAC 12 with 11 players, the ACC with 10 and the Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA with 9 players each. The MAC submitted 7, the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference had 6 each while the American Athletic Conference had 3 players named to the list. All FBS Conferences are represented on the list, as were Independent representative Notre Dame and BYU (Army) with one nominee each.
Ten players return to the Watch List from 2018. They are: Malcolm Holland (Arizona), Derrick Brown (Auburn), Sean Pollard (Clemson), Adam Prentice (Colorado State), Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia), Matt Bahr (Kent State), Deuce Wallace (Louisiana), Blake Ferguson (LSU), Justin Herbert (Oregon) and Darren Woods, Jr. (UNLV).
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities' Sports Information Departments and will close on October 15. A current list of nominees can be found at www.wuerffeltrophy.org beginning on August 1. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 5 and finalists will be announced on November 18.
The formal announcement of the 2019 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's festivities in New York City on December 10. The presentation of the 2019 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 51st All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 14, 2020 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the award are: Rudy Niswanger - LSU - 2005; Joel Penton - Ohio State - 2006; Paul Smith - Tulsa - 2008; Tim Tebow - Florida - 2008; Tim Hiller - Western Michigan - 2009; Sam Acho - Texas - 2010; Barrett Jones - Alabama - 2011; Matt Barkley - USC - 2012; Gabe Ikard - Oklahoma - 2013; Deterrian Shackelford - Ole Miss - 2014; Ty Darlington - Oklahoma - 2015; Trevor Knight - Texas A&M - 2016; Courtney Love - Kentucky – 2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
2019 WUERFFEL TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY UNIVERSITY)
Isaiah Sanders, Air Force, Senior, QB
Chris Owens, Alabama, Junior, OL
Darrynton Evans, App State, Junior, RB
Malcolm Holland, Arizona, Senior, DB
Eno Benjamin, Arizona State, Junior, RB
Kyle Williams, Arizona State, Senior, WR
T.J. Smith, Arkansas, Senior, DL
Tajhea Chambers, Arkansas State, Junior, LB
Derrick Brown, Auburn, Senior, DL
Kole Bailey, Boise State, Junior, OL
Gabe Skrobot, Bowling Green, Junior, LS
Matt Otwinowski, Buffalo, Senior, LB
Uriah Leiataua, BYU, Junior, DL
Michael Saffell, Cal, Junior, OL
Tyriq Harris, Charlotte, Senior, DL
Sean Pollard, Clemson, Senior, OL
Silas Kelly, Coastal Carolina, Junior, LB
Adam Prentice, Colorado State, Junior, RB
Koby Quansah, Duke, Senior, LB
Brody Hoying, Eastern Michigan, Senior, DB
James Morgan, FIU, Senior, QB
Tyrie Cleveland, Florida, Senior, WR
DeCalon Brooks, Florida State, Sophomore, LB
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia, Senior, K
Rashad Byrd, Georgia Southern, Senior, LB
Jahaziel Lee, Georgia Tech, Senior, DL
Kaimana Padello, Hawai'i, Senior, DL
Bobby Walker, Illinois, Senior, TE
Nick Westbrook, Indiana, Senior, WR
Ray Lima, Iowa State, Senior, DL
Denzel Goolsby, Kansas State, Senior, DB
Matt Bahr, Kent State, Senior, LB
Landon Young, Kentucky, Junior, OL
Deuce Wallace, Louisiana, Senior, BD
Blake Ferguson, LSU, Senior, LS
Brenden Knox, Marshall, Sophomore, RB
Noah Barnes, Maryland, Junior, TE
Brady White, Memphis, Junior, QB
Zach McCloud, Miami, Senior, LB
Jack Sorenson, Miami (Ohio), Junior, WR
Cole Chewins, Michigan State, Senior, OL
Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee, Senior, LB
Winston DeLattiboudere, Minnesota, Senior, DL
Kobe Jones, Mississippi State, Junior, DL
Khalil Oliver, Missouri, Senior, DB
James Smith-Williams, N.C. State, Senior, DL
Ben Stille, Nebraska, Junior, DL
Lucas Weber, Nevada, Senior, LB
Teton Saites, New Mexico, Junior, OL
Josh Adkins, New Mexico State, Sophomore, QB
Jalen Elliott, Notre Dame, Senior, DB
Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma, Junior, LB
Mufu Tiawo, Old Dominion, Senior, DL
Mac Brown, Ole Miss, Junior, P
Justin Herbert, Oregon, Senior, QB
Dallas Warmack, Oregon, Senior, OL
Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State, Senior, LB
Tre Tipton, Pittsburgh, Senior, WR
Nick Leverett, Rice, Senior, OL
Parker Houston, San Diego State, Senior, TE
Josh Love, San Jose State, Senior, QB
Tyler Page, SMU, Junior, WR
Brian Ankerson, South Alabama, Junior, OL
Spencer Eason-Riddle, South Carolina, Junior, LB
Treyjohn Butler, Stanford, Senior, DB
Andrew Armstrong, Syracuse, Senior, LB
Kellton Hollins, TCU, Junior, OL
Matt Hennessy, Temple, Junior, OL
Ryan Johnson, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Trey Smith, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Sam Ehlinger, Texas, Junior, QB
Hunter "Hutch" White, Texas State, Senor, WR/ST
Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech, Senior, OL
Bryce Harris, Toledo, Senior, OL
B.J. Smith, Troy, Senior, RB
Jordan Johnson, UCF, Senior, OL
Darren Woods, Jr., UNLV, Senior, WR
Michael Pittman, USC, Senior, WR
Britain Covey, Utah, Junior, WR
Dominik Eberle, Utah State, Senior, K
Derron Gatewood, UTEP, Senior, OL
Andrew Martel, UTSA, Senior, LB
Andre Mintze, Vanderbilt, Junior, LB
Bryce Hall, Virginia, Senior, DB
Cade Carney, Wake Forest, Senior, RB
Nick Harris, Washington, Senior, OL
Frederick Mauigoa, Washington State, Senior, OL
Evan Staley, West Virginia, Junior, K
Tyler Witt, Western Kentucky, Junior, OL
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan, Senior, QB
Chris Orr, Wisconsin, Senior, LB
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