LOGAN —Utah State junior quarterback Jordan Love has been named to the 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year preseason watch list, it was announced Friday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the National College Football Awards Association. The Walter Camp Award is the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
In all, Love is one of just 40 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list, including one of 16 quarterbacks.
Love is the only player from the Mountain West Conference named to the watch list. Furthermore, he is one of three players from the Beehive State to make the list, along with BYU tight end Matt Bushman and Utah running back Zach Moss.
Additionally, 10 players on the 2019 Watch List, including the 2018 Player of the Year Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors. Tagovailoa was a First Team All-American last season along with his teammate, wide receiver Jordy Jeudy, and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.
The Walter Camp Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
Love, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Bakersfield, California, earned second-team all-Mountain West honors in 2018 as he set five school records with 32 touchdown passes, 3,567 passing yards, seven 300-yard passing games, 234 points responsible for and being named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week five times. Love also tied the single-season school record with a pair of 400-yard passing games. Furthermore, Love tied the single-game school record for touchdown passes with five against both UNLV and San José State, becoming just the fifth quarterback in school history to accomplish the feat.
Heading into his junior campaign, Love is 396-of-652 (.607) passing for 5,198 yards and 40 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions during his career, and ranks fourth all-time in school history in touchdown passes, tied for fourth in completion percentage, and 10th all-time in passing yards, completions and total offense (5,426).
Along with being named to the Walter Camp watch list, Love has also been named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list, annually given to the nation's best quarterback, as well as being named to the Maxwell Award watch list, which is given annually to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Additionally, Love was also named a preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's Magazine and was named the MW’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Love also participated in the 2019 Manning Passing Academy this summer.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2019 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 live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 12. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 53rd annual national awards banquet on January 18, 2020 in New Haven, Conn.
Utah State returns nine starters (O-2, D-7) as part of 32 letterwinners (O-13, D-17, S-2), including two All-Americans and eight players that earned various all-Mountain West honors, from last year’s team that ended the season ranked 21st in the final Amway Coaches poll and 22nd in the final AP poll as the Aggies tied the school record for wins and best record with an 11-2 mark following their 52-13 win against North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl.
Utah State opens the 2019 season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Wake Forest, and begins the home portion of its schedule the following weekend against Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 7. Mountain West play begins for the Aggies at San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 21.