Another day and another pre-season watch list for a quarterback award. Although this one comes with some twists. There are 13 ACC quarterbacks on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlist.
The award is for the best quarterback in the country. But, they must be seniors or upperclassmen eligible for graduation with their class. John Unitas, Jr. president of the award’s educational foundation, says, “The winner of the Golden Arm Award is recognized not only for his athletic accomplishments, but also for his character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic abilities.”
The ACC Nominees
The list of ACC quarterbacks on the watch list are:
Thomas Castellanos, Boston College, Junior
Fernando Mendoza, Cal, Redshirt Sophomore
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, Junior
DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State, Redshirt Senior
Haynes King, Georgia Tech, Redshirt Junior
Tyler Shough, Louisville, Redshirt Senior
Cam Ward, Miami, Senior
Grayson McCall, NC State, Graduate Student
Nate Yarnell, Pitt, Redshirt Junior
Preston Stone, SMU, Redshirt Junior
Ashton Daniels, Stanford, Junior
Kyle McCord, Syracuse, Senior
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech, Redshirt Junior
The ACC had more players on the watch list than any other conference. There are 63 nominees in all on the list. Players can be added to the list as the season goes, but they must meet the senior/upperclassman/graduation status detailed above.
The Specifics
The voting panel of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee is made up of college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. All 10 FBS conferences are represented on the watch list.
The committee does not detail the calendar process for whittling the list down to the semifinalists and finalists. The award winner will be announced on December 6th at a ceremony in Baltimore, MD. Last year’s winner was LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The entire watch list can be seen here. Don’t be thrown off by the website saying it is the 2023 list. It is the current year’s list.
The foundation also has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school athletes throughout Maryland.
