McKinnon Placed on College Football Performance Awards QB Watch List
5/6/2013 3:06:00 PM | Football
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) announced its watch list Monday, May 6th, for the 2013 CFPA FCS Quarterback Award, with Georgia Southern quarterback Jerick McKinnon earning a spot on the list. The preliminary watch list highlights 32 returning performers, vying for the top quarterback honor in the Football Championship Subdivision. The largest awards organization in D-I college football, CFPA presents 45 awards annually and honors 29 student-athletes for their accomplishments on the field each week.
"Congratulations to Jerick McKinnon on earning a spot on the 2013 CFPA Watch List," stated CFPA Executive Director Brad Smith. "A dangerous weapon in the Georgia Southern option attack, McKinnon will likely lead Georgia Southern to success in 2013."
With 129.79 rushing yards per game, McKinnon ranked seventh nationally and held additional spots on the NCAA charts. He finished the 2012 season with seven-straight games with 100 or more yards rushing, including a 316-yard effort against Central Arkansas. His 1,817-rushing yard total for 2012 ranked third on Georgia Southern's single-season list behind only Adrian Peterson and Jayson Foster. The Marietta, Ga., native returns this season as the top quarterback and one of the top six running backs on the NCAA active career rushing yards list.
McKinnon and six other starters return on offense for the Eagles after guiding the most potent rushing attack in the nation in 2012. Six starters return on the defensive side of the ball as Georgia Southern kicks off its 2013 season August 31stat 6 p.m. against Savannah State.
Three Georgia Southern players have earned CFPA honors in the past three seasons: Brent Russell (Elite Defensive Tackle Award), Laron Scott (Kickoff Returner Award), and Adrian Mora (Placekicker Award). Scott is currently with the New York Giants, while Russell recently signed with the Chicago Bears.
All CFPA recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams. Georgia Southern Eagles are eligible for FCS honors in 2013, the first of its two transitional years as it begins the process of moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision for 2014.
Currently, 111 CFPA recipients listed on official 2013 NFL rosters. More than 130 CFPA recipients have signed professional contracts, and 21 have been first-round NFL Draft selections. In addition to Scott and Russell, other past CFPA recipients include Colin Kaepernick (Nevada), Trent Richardson (Alabama), Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State), Von Miller (Texas A&M), Patrick Peterson (LSU), Earl Thomas (Texas), Dennis Pitta (BYU), and C.J. Spiller (Clemson).
Last season, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel earned the 2012 CFPA National Performer of the Year Trophy, while Harvard quarterback Colton Chapple earned the 2012 CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year Trophy. Multiple award presentations were broadcast live nationally on ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, as well as internationally on BYUtv.
Additional information is available on the official CFPA Website (http://www.collegefootballperformance.com) and fans can follow CFPA on Twitter @CFPerformance. Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
