Will Levis, Chris Rodriguez named to Walter Camp Award Watchlist

MrsTylerKSR

Ahead of what could be a special season, two Kentucky Wildcats are in the running for national player of the year. Quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez are among the 52 “players to watch” for the Walter Camp Award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. Kentucky is one of four schools with two nominees (Kentucky, USC, Texas, and Iowa State). Levis and Rodriguez are also both on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award, also given to college football’s most outstanding player.

In his first season after transferring to Kentucky from Penn State, Levis threw for 2,827 yards and 24 scores, while rushing for 376 yards and nine touchdowns. His 24 touchdown passes were the most since Andre’ Woodson had 40 in 2007. Levis totaled 3,202 yards of total offense, the seventh player in school history to reach 3,000 yards of total offense in a season. Entering his senior season, he is a trendy top-ten pick in several major mock drafts and also on the watchlist for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Rodriguez is the SEC’s leading returning rusher. Last season, he rushed for 1,379 yards (106.1 per game), which ranks fifth on Kentucky’s single-season list. He had nine 100-yard rushing games last season, a school record. He also had 13 receptions for 61 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Rodriguez has 2,740 career rushing yards (sixth on UK’s career list), 26 career TDs (tied for second on UK’s career list), and 15 100-yard games (third in school history).

2022 Walter Camp Award Preseason Watchlist

Jordan Addison, WR, junior, USC
Rasheen Ali, RB, sophomore, Marshall
Braelon Allen, RB, sophomore, Wisconsin
Will Anderson, LB, junior, Alabama
Kayshon Boutte, WR, junior, LSU
Brock Bowers, TE, sophomore, Georgia
Andre Carter II, LB, junior, Army West Point
Jalen Carter, DT, junior, Georgia
Dante Cephas, WR, junior, Kent State
Sean Clifford, QB, senior, Penn State
Blake Corum, RB, junior, Michigan
Malik Cunningham, QB, senior, Louisville
JT Daniels, QB, junior, West Virginia
Josh Downs, WR, junior, North Carolina
Dillon Gabriel, QB, junior, Oklahoma
Brett Gabbert, QB, junior, Miami (Ohio)
Jake Haener, QB, senior, Fresno State
Jaren Hall, QB, junior, BYU
Frank Harris, QB, senior, UTSA
Sam Hartman, QB, senior, Wake Forest
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, sophomore, Ohio State
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, senior, Iowa State
Quentin Johnston, WR, junior, TCU
Phil Jurkovec, QB, senior, Boston College
Calijah Kancey, DT, junior, Pittsburgh
Devin Leary, QB, junior, North Carolina State
Will Levis, QB, senior, Kentucky
Grayson McCall, QB, senior, Coastal Carolina
Will McDonald IV, DE, senior, Iowa State
Michael Mayer, TE, junior Notre Dame
Tanner Mordecai, QB, senior, SMU
Lew Nicholls, RB, sophomore, Central Michigan
Aiden O’Connell, QB, senior, Purdue
Spencer Rattler, QB, junior, South Carolina
Eli Ricks, DB, junior, Alabama
Kelee Ringo, DB, sophomore, Georgia
Brad Roberts, RB, senior, Air Force
Bijan Robinson, RB, junior, Texas
Chris Rodriquez, RB, senior, Kentucky
Spencer Sanders, QB, senior, Oklahoma State
Noah Sewell, LB, junior, Oregon
Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, junior, Ohio State
C.J. Stroud, QB, sophomore, Ohio State
Tavion Thomas, RB, junior, Utah
Payton Thorne, QB, junior, Michigan State
Cedric Tillman, WR, senior, Tennessee
Sean Tucker, RB, sophomore, Syracuse
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, sophomore, Miami (Fla.)
Deuce Vaughn, RB, junior, Kansas State
Caleb Williams, QB, sophomore, USC
Xavier Worthy, WR, sophomore, Texas
Bryce Young, QB, junior, Alabama

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November. The 2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 130 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show (date TBD). The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 55th annual national awards banquet in New Haven, Connecticut in early 2023.