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Heading into the 2015 college football season, WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises, and the next fall stars could be the headline players next May for the 2016 NFL Draft. We also will project the winners of the postseason awards that are given out to the best of college football.
The Walter Camp Award is given to the Player of the Year in college football. Last year winner was Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. We had Mariota as the projected runner-up to Jameis Winston.
Walter Camp Award Winner:
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
This is a really tough prediction because their aren’t standouts like Mariota or Winston to pick from. Some of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Michigan State Connor Cook and Penn State Christian Hackenberg, don’t put up huge numbers in their offenses. The Walter Camp Award tends to go to quarterbacks, and those that put up huge stat lines. With that in mind, I was inclined to go with TCU Trevone Boykin, California Jared Goff, and Prescott. I went with Prescott because I think he will put up big numbers as the lead runner and thrower in Mississippi State offense.
Prescott is definitely capable of putting together a big season to win the Walter Camp Award. Last year, he completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,449 yards with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Prescott also averaged 4.7 yards per carry for 986 yards with 14 touchdowns on the ground. He was slowed by an ankle injury in the second half of the year, but the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder is a dual-threat quarterback who could produce a huge year for the Bulldogs and bring home a lot of postseason honors.
Walter Camp Award Runner-Up:
Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
Boykin may not be a top NFL prospect, but he led a huge season at TCU in 2014 and was a consensus Second-Team All-American. I think he is a safe bet to repeated that performance. Boykin has talent coming back around him and plays in a conference that doesn’t feature many tough defenses. Boykin should be massively productive again in 2015.
Boykin (6-2, 205) did a lot of damage with his arm and legs last season. He ran for 707 yards with eight touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,901 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Led by Boykin, TCU was a point-machine, and there is no reason to think that won’t be the case in 2015. He could be a college system quarterback who wins lots of awards this season.
Walter Camp Award Dark Horse:
Jared Goff, QB, California
Over the past two seasons Goff hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but he has racked up a lot of touchdown passes and yards for the Golden Bears. Goff threw 53 touchdowns over his first two years as a starter including 35 in 2014 while completing 62 percent of his passes. The efficient Goff also threw only seven interceptions. Goff is a pocket passer that plays in a passing driven offense. He looks poised to produce another massive season in 2015 and it wouldn’t surprise me if wins some hardware after the season.
Honorable Mentions: Ohio State DE Joey Bosa, UCLA OLB Myles Jack, Georgia RB Nick Chubb, Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott, Michigan State QB Connor Cook, Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg, USC QB Cody Kessler, Cinncinati QB Gunner Kiel and Pittsburgh WR Tyler Boyd.
2015 Preseason All-American Projections:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Outland Trophy | Biletnikoff Award | Walker Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Butkus Award | Thorpe Award | Groza Award | Guy Award | Lombardi Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Maxwell Award | Hornung Award | Nagurski Award | Camp Award | Jet Award | Heisman Trophy | College Playoff Projections
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Outland Trophy | Biletnikoff Award | Walker Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Butkus Award | Thorpe Award | Groza Award | Guy Award | Lombardi Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Maxwell Award | Hornung Award | Nagurski Award | Camp Award | Jet Award | Heisman Trophy | College Playoff Projections
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