Newsstand: Trio of Notre Dame players named to Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list
It’s watch list season, and three Notre Dame players were named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list. This award goes to the nation’s top player and is voted on by the nation’s 131 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, defensive lineman Howard Cross III and safety Xavier Watts made the list. Cross and Watts were previously named to the 2024 Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team.
Notre Dame has had four players previously win Walter Camp Player of the Year honors: Ken MacAfee (1977), Tim Brown (1987), Rocket Ismail (1990) and Manti Te’o (2012).
This past season, Leonard completed 95 of 165 passes for 1,102 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He only played in two games after suffering an ankle injury Sept. 30 against Notre Dame and a toe injury Oct. 28 against Louisville. After injuring his ankle, Leonard’s numbers took a dive. Against Florida State and Louisville, he went a combined 16-of-39 passing for 190 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He only tallied 26 rushing yards and he was sacked 4 times.
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Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player in 2023, intercepting 7 passes in his first full season as a starter. Cross was in the top five of all FBS defensive linemen with his 66 total tackles last year.
The 57th recipient of the Walter Camp Player of Year award in December 2023 was LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Tigers’ offensive coordinator last season was Mike Denbrock, who left LSU for Notre Dame in the offseason.
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Quote of the day
“I can’t look at who’s where or what reps I’m getting. I’m just taking my reps seriously and making sure everything I do is to help my game and get better each day. So that’s really the message; to try to get better every day.”
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