Watch List Watch: Golden Arm Award gives nod to Notre Dame QB Ian Book

Ian Book landed Tuesday on his third preseason watch list for a quarterback award ahead of the 2020 season.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award included Book on its preseason watch list of 48 players for the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate.

Book previously made the quarterback watch lists for the Manning Award and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. He also was named to the Maxwell Award watch list as a player of the year candidate.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow won the Golden Arm Award last season. Two Notre Dame quarterbacks have won the award since its inception in 1987: Tony Rice (1989) and Brady Quinn (2006).

Book on Manning Award list

Another week, another watch list for Ian Book.

The Irish quarterback landed July 30 on the Manning Award preseason watch list. The award for the top college quarterback included Book on a list with 29 other players.

Notre Dame will play against three quarterbacks on the Manning Award watch list this season: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Louisville’s Micale Cunningham Jr.

No Notre Dame quarterback has won the Manning Award, which was first given in 2004 to USC’s Matt Leinart. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow won the award last season.

Book was previously named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award (player of the year and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Maxwell Award list highlights Book

The two-week blitz of college football’s preseason watch lists ended July 24 with Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book landing on another list.

The Irish graduate student was included on the 90-man list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation’s best college football player.

Book, who finished 2019 completing 240 of his 399 passes (60.2 percent) for 3,034 yards and 34 touchdowns with only six interceptions, was previously named to the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Linebacker Manti Te’o is the last Notre Dame player to win the Maxwell Award in 2012. Five other Irish players have won the award since its creation in 1937: Leon Hart (1949), Johnny Lattner (1952 and 1953), Jim Lynch (1966), Ross Browner (1977) and Brady Quinn (2006).

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow won the Maxwell Award last season.

A handful of college football awards have yet to release their preseason watch lists including the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (senior quarterback) and Rimington Trophy (top center).

Wuerffel Trophy list recognizes community service of Hayes

The Wuerffel Trophy has put a spotlight on community service in college football since its inception in 2005.

The 114-player watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy released July 23 recognized FBS players that combine community service with athletic and academic achievements. The list included Notre Dame defensive end Daelin Hayes.

Hayes, a graduate student, has participated in a number of volunteer efforts including teaching at the Robinson Community Learning Center and helping at the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, South Bend Center for the Homeless, and Boys & Girls Club of St. Joseph County. Hayes recently led the organization of a campus rally on Juneteenth.

Former Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill won the Wuerffel Trophy in 2018.

Doerer named on Lou Groza Award list

Jonathan Doerer set the Notre Dame single-season record for points by a kicker last season with 108. Naturally, that production landed him July 22 on the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza College Place-Kicker Award.

Doerer joined 29 other kickers on the watch list including 2018 winner Andre Szmyt of Syracuse. Two finalists from last season — Iowa’s Keith Duncan and Washington State’s Blake Mazza — also made the list. Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship, now an Indianapolis Colt, won the award last season.

Doerer excelled in 2019 in his first season as the full-time kicker taking over for record-setter Justin Yoon. Doerer made 17 of his 20 field goal attempts including both attempts of 50-plus yards. He also converted on all 57 extra point attempts.

No Notre Dame kicker has won the Lou Groza Award since its creation in 1992.

Three Irish linemen tabbed on Outland Trophy list

Only Alabama was represented on the Outland Trophy preseason watch list more times than Notre Dame.

The 85-man watch list for college football’s top interior lineman, which was released July 21, included three Notre Dame offensive linemen: left tackle Liam Eichenberg, left guard Aaron Banks and center Jarrett Patterson. Four Alabama players — three offensive lineman and one defensive tackle — made the list. Ohio State also had three offensive linemen on the watch list.

Eichenberg and right guard Tommy Kraemer made the preseason watch list last season. The Irish have had at least two players on the Outland Trophy preseason watch list every year since 2015.

Former Notre Dame tackle George Connor won the first Outland Trophy in 1946. Guard Bill Fischer also won the award in 1948, but an Irish player hasn't taken home the award since defensive end Ross Browner in 1976. Offensive guard Quenton Nelson was a finalist in 2017, but he lost to Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

Oregon’s Penei Sewell, now a junior, won the Outland Trophy last season.

Pair of LBs on Nagurski Trophy list

Featuring 98 different players, the preseason watch list for Bronco Nagurski Trophy released July 21 was quite the catalog.

The long list of potential candidates for the best defensive player in college football included a pair of Notre Dame linebackers: rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and middle linebacker Drew White.

Owusu-Koramoah found his name on the third watch list in the last two weeks. He was previously named to the Butkus (top linebacker) and Chuck Bednarik (outstanding defensive player) award lists.

Owusu-Koramoah and White tied for the team-high with 80 tackles last season.

Only one Notre Dame defender has won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy since its creation in 1993: linebacker Manti Te’o in 2012.

Owusu-Koramoah tabbed on Butkus Award list

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah found his name on another preseason watch list July 20. The Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker, included the Notre Dame rover on the 51-player watch list.

Owusu-Koramoah, a senior, received the nod coming off a breakout 2019 season in which he registered a team-high 54 solo tackles, 80 total tackles (tied for team-high with Drew White), 13.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Owusu-Koramoah was also named to the Chuck Bednarik Award (outstanding defensive player) watch list last week.

The collegiate Butkus Award has been won twice by Irish linebackers since its inception in 1985: Manti Te'o in 2012 and Jaylon Smith in 2015.

Both Te'o and Smith also won the high school version of the Butkus Award, which released a preseason watch list Monday as well. Notre Dame linebacker target Prince Kollie made the 51-player high school watch list.

Davey O'Brien Award includes Book

Preseason honors aren't new for Ian Book. 

The Notre Dame senior appeared on three notable watch lists last offseason. He earned preseason recognition from the Davey O'Brien Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award in 2019. 

The Davey O'Brien Award, offered to college football's best quarterback, recognized Book again July 14. He was among 30 to be included on its watch list. He also emerged as a semifinalist for the award in 2018. 

In 2019, Book became the first quarterback in Notre Dame history to record at least 2,500 passing yards, 500 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns in a season. Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts was the only other FBS quarterback to match or surpass those numbers. Book appearing on more watch lists seems likely.

The 16 Davey O'Brien Award semifinalists are slated to be announced on Nov. 10. The three finalists are scheduled to be named on Nov. 24. LSU's Joe Burrow claimed the award in 2019.

Hamilton, Owusu-Koramoah make Bednarik Award list

The Chuck Bednarik Award list, the first watch list released by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), came out July 13 and included Notre Dame sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton and senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Recognizing the best defensive player in college football, the Bednarik Award went to Ohio State defensive end Chase Young in 2019. Linebacker Manti Teo marks the only Notre Dame player to earn the award, in 2012.

Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah were among 90 players named to the award list, an impressive feat considering they each had zero career tackles heading into last season. The duo is expected to be featured in the Irish defense in 2020.

Despite playing less than half the snaps behind starting safeties Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman last season, Hamilton recorded a team-high four interceptions in 13 games. He garnered Freshman All-American status from The Athletic. Notre Dame named him Co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year at its Echoes Awards in December. 

In 13 starts as a junior last season, Owusu-Koramoah tied for a team-high 80 tackles and led the Irish with 13.5 tackles for a loss. He also tallied 5.5 sacks, four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Owusu-Koramoah redshirted as a freshman and missed all but two games the following season after breaking his foot in practice.

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award are planned to be announced on Nov. 3. The three finalists are slated to be named on Nov. 23.