Rourke named to 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List

ATHENS, Ohio—The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of forty-five “players to watch” for its 2023 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. Graduate student quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) is representing the Bobcats. During the 2022 season, he went 244-for-353 on 3,256 passing yards, throwing 25 total touchdowns in 11 games.

The quarterback made program history against Fordham (Sept. 24), going for 527 yards in the air, breaking a record that was set in 1983. He is also second in program history in passing yards in a season as well as passing touchdowns in a season.

Rourke’s performance earned him numerous accolades, highlighted by being named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, earning the Vern Smith Leadership Award and getting named the 2022 Cornish Trophy runner-up as well as earning First Team All-MAC honors. He was named one of the Manning Award “Stars of the Week” twice, was a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist and was also named to the 2022 Phil Steele First Team Offense in addition to earning MAC Offensive Player of the Week three times. Off the field, he was named Academic All-MAC, 2022 Academic All-America® Second Team and earned MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors once.

So far this season, Rourke has already been named to the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien watch lists. USC quarterback Caleb Williams was the 2022 Walter Camp Player of Year. Williams 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. “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 2022 watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists 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. Please note: Appearing on the preseason Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-America team.

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