John Mackey Award for nation's top tight end announces 2022 preseason watch list

There is plenty of tight end talent across college football this year. Friday, the John Mackey Award selection committee announced its preseason watch list, featuring the list of tight ends who could make a run at the award.

The John Mackey Award is given to the best tight end in the country. Mackey played tight end at Syracuse from 1960-62 and played in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers from 1962-72. Syracuse retired his No. 88 and in the NFL, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and helped the Colts to a Super Bowl V title.

The biggest name on the watch list is Georgia star Brock Bowers, who had a monster freshman season in 2021 to help the Bulldogs to their first national championship in 40 years. But he’s one of three Georgia players on the list, including Darnell Washington and Arik Gilbert.

Here’s the full John Mackey Award watch list.

John Mackey Award watch list

Brock Bowers — Georgia

Cameron Latu — Alabama

John Samuel Shenker — Auburn

Austin Stogner — South Carolina

Jaheim Bell — South Carolina

Michael Trigg — Ole Miss

Darnell Washington — Georgia

Arik Gilbert — Georgia

Jacob Warren — Tennessee

Ben Bresnahan — Vanderbilt

Michael Mayer — Notre Dame

Isaac Rex — BYU

Sam LaPorta — Iowa

Payne Durham — Purdue

Erick All — Michigan

Luke Schoonmaker — Michigan

Brenton Strange — Penn State

Brevyn Spann-Ford — Minnesota

Luke Ford — Illinois

Theo Johnson — Penn State

Will Mallory — Miami

Marshon Ford — Louisville

Davis Allen — Clemson

Camren McDonald — Florida State

Blake Whiteheart — Wake Forest

George Takacs — Boston College

Gavin Bartholomew — Pittsburgh

Ben Yurosek — Stanford

Terrance Ferguson — Oregon

Brady Russell — Colorado

Michael Ezeike — UCLA

Dalton Kincaid — Utah

Luke Musgrave — Oregon State

Devin Culp — Washington

Malcolm Epps — USC

Ben Sims — Baylor

Baylor Cupp — Texas Tech

Mike O’Laughlin — West Virginia

Brayden Willis — Oklahoma

Ja’Tavion Sanders — Texas

Christian Trahan — Houston

Tyrick James — Tulane

Josh Whyle — Cincinnati

Ryan Jones — East Carolina

Leonard Taylor — Cincinnati

Kemore Gamble — UCF

Mark Redman — San Diego State

Sam Olson — San Jose State

Kris Leach — Kent State

Christian Sims — Bowling Green

Johnny Lumpkin — Louisiana

Oscar Cardenas — UTSA

Rivaldo Fairweather — FIU

Joshua Simon — Western Kentucky