With Baylor football’s team success has also come national recognition for many of Baylor’s individual student-athletes.
Running back Lache Seastrunk garnered the most attention early in the season, but quarterback Bryce Petty has joined Seastrunk to put two Bears in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy. Petty is ranked among the top 5 Heisman candidates by Sporting News (3rd), ESPN (4th), CBSSports (4th), Sports Illustrated (4th), HeismanPundit.com (4th) and NFL.com (5th).
Seastrunk and Petty are both semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, given annually to the nation’s best player. Petty is also a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and Seastrunk is also a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award for best running back. Even Art Briles made the watch list for the Bear Bryant and Liberty Mutual coach of the year awards.
Jordan Najvar is among the semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy, given to a senior who combines both athletic and academic abilities. Cyril Richardson made the Rotary Lombardi Award’s 12-man list of semifinalists, recognizing the nation’s top lineman, and Bryce Hager is a Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist, which honors a defensive player for contributions on and off the field.
Several Bears are on watch lists that have not yet been pared down. Antwan Goodley and Tevin Reese are both on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver). Clay Fuller (Burlsworth Trophy, best former walk-on), Hager (Bronko Nagurski Award, best defensive player), Najvar (John Mackey Award, best tight end), Richardson (Outland Trophy, best interior lineman) and Seastrunk (Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, top offensive player) are all still in the running for national individiual honors.
Several of these awards include fan voting in their final decisions; here’s where to vote:
- The Nissan Heisman Vote allows fans to tweet #NissanHeismanVote and the player’s last name (in this case, Petty or Seastrunk) to participate. Fans can also vote online by clicking here.
- Round two of the Davey O’Brien fan vote is now open; as I type this, Petty is in fifth place and could use your vote. Go here to cast your ballot once each day.
- Fans can also vote once per day for the Biletnikoff Award, where both Goodley and Reese are candidates. Click here to cast your vote.
- Last but not least, click here to vote Art Briles for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award.
Sic ’em, Baylor football!