Four Longhorns named Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalists
Texas had four players named semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, the organization announced on Wednesday. Sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks, sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers, and junior wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy are among 19 players named semifinalists. Texas is the only program with multiple semifinalists named.
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Brooks, Hallettsville (Texas) product is a Doak Walker Award semifinalist and All-Big 12 Second Team selection, established career highs with 187 carries for 1,139 yards (6.1 ypc) and 10 touchdowns, while also catching 25 passes for 286 yards and one touchdown. His 1,139 rushing yards on the year are 14th-most in a season in program history. Through the first 10 games of the season, the Hallettsville, Texas native ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards (1,139), seventh in rushing yards per game (113.9 ypg) and sixth in all-purpose yards (142.5 ypg). He was second in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards, third in rushing yards, rushing yards per game and total touchdowns (11), and fourth in rushing yards per carry (6.09) and rushing touchdowns (10). His versatility was on display over his last eight games, rushing 161 times for 1,030 yards (103.0 ypg) and catching 22 passes for 240 yards to total 1,270 yards (127.0 ypg).
Ewers, Southlake Carroll (Texas) native and Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, has played in and started 10 games for the Longhorns this season, guiding Texas to a 9-1 record in those games. The Southlake, Texas native has completed 213-of-305 passes (69.8%) for 2,709 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions while also adding five rushing scores. He ranks eighth in the nation in completion percentage (0.698), 16th in passing efficiency (159.6), 22nd in passing yards per game (270.9) and 27th in completions per game (21.30). He has four games of 300-plus passing yards, tied for the fourth-most in a season in program history, and four multi-passing touchdown games. Against Oklahoma, he had a string of 19 consecutive completions, the longest streak in program history, then connected on 14-straight passes at Houston, tied for the eighth-longest streak for a Longhorn. He earned Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week accolades for week two of the season after guiding Texas to a 34-24 victory against then-No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns in the win, the Longhorns’ first road win over a top-3 team since 1969.
Mitchell, a native of Missouri City (Texas), has been an integral member of the Longhorn offense since transferring from Georgia. A second-team All-Big 12 selection and the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Mitchell has established career highs with 45 receptions, 704 receiving yards and team-leading nine touchdowns, ranking second in the conference in touchdown receptions and 11th in receptions and yards. He has two games of multiple touchdown receptions and had a string of four consecutive games with a TD catch, tied for the sixth-longest streak in program history.
Worthy, a product of Fresno (Calif.) Central, is an All-Big 12 First Team selection as a wide receiver and return specialist. The junior has caught a career-high 67 passes for 883 yards and five touchdowns and returned 20 punts for 358 yards, including a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown against BYU. He leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the nation averaging 17.9 yards per punt return, while ranking second in the conference in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (73.6) and third in receptions and receptions per game (5.6). He is just the second Longhorn to have three seasons of 60-plus receptions (Roy Williams), his punt return average ranks second in program history (Bobby Dillon – 22.3, 1950) and his 358 punt return yards are the seventh-most in a season for a Longhorn.
The award, which is named after 1977 Heisman Trophy winner and Longhorn Legend Earl Campbell, is given annually to the top offensive player in the FBS who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Campbell – integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity. In addition, it is limited to players who were born in the state of Texas, attended a high school in Texas or attended a Texas junior college or university.
Finalists will be announced on December 12, 2023, and the winner will be announced at an award banquet in Tyler, Texas on January 10, 2024.
