Oregon's Alex Forsyth selected as finalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man Of The Year Award

Oregon senior center Alex Forsyth has been tabbed as a finalist for the sixth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

Along with Forsyth, the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Board of Directors selected Penn State’s Sean Clifford and Pittsburgh’s Deslin Alexandre. 

The award recognizes the player in college football who best demonstrates an outstanding record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship.

“I am excited to announce these three outstanding young men as the finalists for the sixth annual Collegiate Man of the Year,” Witten said. “Deslin Alexandre, Sean Clifford, and Alex Forsyth have all demonstrated exceptional leadership on and off the field and set the standard for what being a student-athlete is all about. It’s nearly impossible to choose just three from all of the great players nominated. There are so many great representatives for college football, and I commend all of the nominees for the tremendous example of leadership they set on the field, on campus, and in the community.”

A three-year starter who is now in his fifth season with the program, Forsyth has been an invaluable member of Oregon’s offense and within the Eugene community. He is involved with KidSports, Food for Lane County, and the Eugene Mission homeless shelter.

Earlier this month, he was named a first-team all-Pac-12 selection and received second-team All-American honors from the Football Writers of America Association

This season, Forsyth has started 11 games at center and played 761 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF issued him a 71.3 overall grade on the season and a pass-blocking grade of 85.0, which is good for the 30th-best in the country among all offensive linemen.

Forsyth finished the regular season with a blocking efficiency of 99.9% and surrendered just two quarterback pressures and no sacks all year, according to PFF.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. will be announced at an award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on Feb. 23, 2023.

About the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award

The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Last year, Joshua Paschal of Kentucky won the fifth annual award. The first four Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D’Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018, Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019 and Sam Ehlinger of Texas in 2020.

Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport and the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 17-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten has also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 15 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the three states. SCORE has also operated a weekend food backpack program for disadvantaged children in North Texas, opened Jason Witten Learning Centers in five different Boys & Girls Clubs and opened the Jason and Michelle Witten Emergency Waiting Room at the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn.