As the college football regular season winds down, the award lists move from watchlists to semi-finalist lists, to finalists in the coming week. The announcements come out pretty much daily at this point. So let’s get you caught up on the ACC’s semifinalists.
The Biletnikoff Award
Given to the best receiver in the country, the semifinalist list came out Tuesday morning. The ACC is represented by Xavier Restrepo of Miami and Ja’Corey Brooks of Louisville. Brooks is in his first season at Louisville after transferring from Alabama. He is in the top 10 in the country in terms of receiving yards and yards per game. He has at least one reception in every game this season and has 100-yard receiving-yard games this season.
Restrepo is the top receiver on the top offensive team in college football in 2024. He is top 10 in the country in touchdown receptions, receiving yards, and receiving yards per game. This season he became Miami’s all-time leading receiver in receptions and receiving yards.
The entire semifinalist list can be found here.
The ballots to pick the three finalists are due to the committee on Sunday, November 24th. Editor’s note: The author of the column is a Biletnikoff Award voter.
Walter Camp Award
This is given to the player of the year by the award’s committee. The ACC is represented by Miami’s Cam Ward, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Virginia Tech’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland.
Ward is also a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas awards that go to the best quarterback in the country. The transfer from Washington State leads the country with 32 touchdown passes, and nearly 3,500 passing yards. He is second in the country in total offense with an average of 367.6 yards per game.
Ezeiruaku is a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award given to the best lineman in the country. He is also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award for the defensive player of the year, as judged by the Maxwell Committee. Ezeiruaku is fourth in the country with 11 sacks. He also leads the ACC in tackles-for-loss with 1.6 per game.
Powell-Ryland is a semifinalist for the Lombardi and Bednarik and a candidate for each of the five certified All-American teams. He has 13 sacks in 10 games, tying him for first nationally. He is also tied for fourth in the country in tackles for loss.
The Walter Camp list can be seen here in its entirety.
Davey O’Brien Award
For the best quarterback in the country. The 16 semifinalists were chosen by the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, as well as the Davey O’Brien Fan Vote. Kevin Jennings of SMU, Cam Ward of Miami, and Cade Klubnik of Clemson are on the semifinalist list.
Jennings took over the SMU quarterback job in week four of the season. He is 6-0 as the starter and the Mustangs are competing for the ACC title and a spot in the college football playoffs. He is third in the country in yards per passing attempts, fifth in passing yards per completion, and 13th in passing efficiency. In his six games as the starter, SMU is averaging 43 points per game and 458 yards per game.
Ward is on several semifinalist lists. His Hurricanes are currently in the top 10 in the country and they have the nation’s top offense. He leads the country with 32 touchdowns and 3,494 passing yards. He also ranks second in the country in total offense per game with a 367.6 yards average.
Klubnik has had a huge bounce-back season in 2024. He is also a semifinalist for several other awards. The senior is in the top 10 in the country in passing touchdowns (24), points responsible for (168), and an average of points responsible for per game (18.7), He has led the Tigers to a 7-2 overall record and a 5-1 ACC mark.
The entire semifinalist list is here.
