Photo by Gregory French / Sidelines Archives
Middle Tennessee redshirt junior quarterback Brent Stockstill received arguably his biggest award nominations of the preseason on Wednesday morning when he was nominated for the Davey O’Brien Award watch-list and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch-list.
This only adds to Stockstill’s accomplishments this offseason, as he has already been named to the Danny Wuerffel Award watch list, the Maxwell Award watch list and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
The Murfreesboro native is one of 30 players on the O’Brien list and joins Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White as the only two Conference USA quarterbacks on the list.
The Davey O’Brien Award is given to the nation’s top signal-caller at the end of the season and is decided by a mixture of selection committee voting and fan voting. Stockstill joins players such as Sam Darnold (USC), Jacob Eason (Georgia), Austin Allen (Arkansas) and Lamar Jackson (Louisville) just to name a few.
Stockstill got the Blue Raiders off to a great start last season before suffering a broken collarbone in a game against UTSA. After the team was sent to the Hawaii Bowl, Stockstill shocked many by returning from injury to play against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
Though it was in a losing effort, Stockstill finished the bowl game with 432 yards on 30-of-51 passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
For the season, Stockstill compiled a solid year with 3,233 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Although he’s never been known for wanting the spotlight on him, Stockstill knows how prestigious an award this truly is.
“It is an honor to be included with some of the top football players in the country,” Stockstill said. “It’s great recognition for our offensive line and the entire program.”
The Davey O’Brien Awards dinner will be held on February 19, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Stockstill is also one of 47 athletes on the Golden Arm Award watch-list. For one to be eligible for the list, they must be a college senior or a fourth-year junior. The award also takes into account what the athlete does on and off the field.
With his nomination for the Good Works team, Stockstill was an easy choice for this list.
The Golden Arm Award committee will announce the 15 finalists for the award in September, and the Awards dinner will be held on December 8 at the Embassy Suites Balitmore Inn Harbor and Grand.
To contact Sports Editor Rusty Ellis, email [email protected].
For more sports stories, follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter and Periscope at @Sidelines_Sport.