STARKVILLE — Former Mississippi State football standouts quarterback Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) and K.J. Wright (Seattle Seahawks) were named nominees Thursday for the 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Presented by Nationwide, the award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
All 32 teams have a nominee, and the winner will be announced Feb. 2 during the “NFL Honors” awards special on Super Bowl weekend.
MSU is one of only five schools (two from the Southeastern Conference) to have multiple nominees for the award. The others schools are California, Florida, Illinois, and Oklahoma.
Fans can vote for Prescott and Wright by using #WPMOYChallenge on Twitter with the nominee’s last name somewhere in the post through Jan. 13. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, courtesy of Nationwide. More information on Prescott and Wright’s nominations, hashtag information and official rules can be found at nfl.com/manoftheyear.
n Alabama’s Tagovailoa, Jeudy, Quinnen Williams earn national honors: At Atlanta, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received the Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards, while wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was honored with the Biletnikoff Award, which recognizes the top receiver in college football, and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams took home the Outland Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top interior lineman, Thursday night at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
Also Thursday, the Walter Camp Football Foundation named Tagovailoa, Jeudy, Williams, and offensive lineman Jonah Williams to its All-America first team and linebacker Dylan Moses and defensive back Deionte Thompson to its second team.
Ole Miss junior Greg Little also was named to the Walter Camp All-America team as a second-team selection.
n In related news, Little was named one of six finalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler announced Thursday.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.
n Alabama’s Waddle, Anoma, Mathis, Surtain II Named to SEC All-Freshman Team: At Birmingham, Alabama, Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, linebacker Eyabi Anoma, defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis and defensive back Patrick Surtain II were named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, the league office announced Thursday. The team was voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Ole Miss offensive lineman Ben Brown and linebacker Jacquez Jones joined them on the team.
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