Evans Named to Walter Camp Player of Year Watch List

Eastern Michigan University Athletics 5-6 minutes 8/11/2023 NEW HAVEN, Conn. (EMUEagles. com) — The Walter Camp Football Foundation today, Aug.

11, named Eastern Michigan University senior running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill. /Prairie Ridge/Iowa) as one of 45 players on the Preseason Watch List for the 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Walter Camp Player of Year, headlines the 2023 watch list, which includes 38 offensive players (20 quarterbacks, 11 running backs, five receivers/tight ends and two offensive lineman) along with seven from the defensive side of the ball.

Players from 35 different schools representing 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the preseason watch list. Ohio State has four players on the watch list, while seven schools (Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Washington) each have two. Evans earned his first all-conference honors in 2022 after a historic season in the backfield for EMU.

The Crystal Lake, Ill. , native scored his 27th career rushing touchdown against Central Michigan, Nov. 25, to move into first place in Eastern Michigan program history in the category during a 2022 season which saw him rush for 100+ yards in four contests, a career-best mark.

His 29 scores put him in second on EMU's all-time touchdowns list (rushing and receiving). With 1,166 yards on the ground last season, Evans is the 14th EMU player to rush for a total of 1,000 yards or more in a single season. The senior's total was good for eighth all-time in single-season laurels at EMU.

His 15 touchdowns in 2022 ranked first in the MAC and 15th nationally. "We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation," Foundation president Tony Mortali said. "This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.

" The 2023 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November. The 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 133 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on ESPN's College Football Awards Show in December. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation's 57th annual national awards banquet in New Haven, Conn.

in early 2023. 2023 Walter Camp Player of Year Preseason Players to Watch Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin Joe Alt, OL, Notre Dame Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia Chevan Cordiero, QB, San Jose State Dontay Corleone, DL, Cincinnati Blake Corum, RB, Michigan Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State Samson Evans, RB, Eastern Michigan Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas Olu Fashanu, OL, Penn State Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma Frank Gore, Jr. , RB, Southern Miss Taylen Green, QB, Boise State Frank Harris, QB, UTSA Marvin Harrison, Jr.

, WR, Ohio State Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ole Miss Jaylin Lucas, RB/KR, Indiana Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina J. J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan Kool-Aid McKinstry, DB, Alabama Joe Milton, QB, Tennessee Jer'Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois Bo Nix, QB, Oregon Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Jaydn Ott, RB, California Michael Penix, Jr.

, QB, Washington Harold Perkins, LB, LSU Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane Will Rogers, QB, Mississippi State Austin Reed, QB, Western Kentucky Kurtis Rourke, QB, Ohio Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Clemson Jared Verse, DE, Florida State Caleb Williams, QB, USC Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.

waltercamp. org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. .