Oliver Earns Spot on Walter Camp Award Watch List

Buy Now

NEW HAVEN, CT – The preseason accolades just keep rollling in for junior running back Branden Oliver. The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced Friday morning the names of 50 "players to watch" for its 2012 Player of the Year award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. This marks the third preseason watch list that Oliver has made, with the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award watch lists honors coming over the past 11 days.

The Walter Camp award honors the top overall player in the nation on either offense or defense. Last season, Andrew Luck won the award. Oliver is joined by Mid-American Conference contemporary Alex Carder, quarterback from Western Michigan.

"We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation," president John Marks said in a press release put out by the foundation. "This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football." 

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November.  The 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 124 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 6.  The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation's annual national awards banquet on January 12, 2013 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. 

2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year "Watch List"

Keenan Allen, junior, WR, California
David Amerson, DB, North Carolina State
Ryan Aplin, senior, QB, Arkansas State
Tavon Austin, senior, WR, West Virginia
Montee Ball, senior, RB, Wisconsin
Matt Barkley, senior, QB, USC
Tajh Boyd, junior, QB, Clemson
Tyler Bray, junior, QB, Tennessee
Arthur Brown, senior, LB, Kansas State
Rex Burkhead, senior, RB, Nebraska
Alex Carder, senior, QB, Western Michigan
Jadeveon Clowney, sophomore, DE, South Carolina
Knile Davis, junior, RB, Arkansas
Seth Doerge, senior, QB, Texas Tech
Tyler Eifert, senior, TE, Notre Dame
Shariff Floyd, junior, DT, Florida
James Franklin, junior, QB, Missouri
William Gholston, junior, DE, Michigan State
Ray Graham, senior, RB, Pittsburgh
Tony Jefferson, junior, DB, Oklahoma
Brandon Jenkins, senior, DE, Florida State
Barrett Jones, senior, Center, Alabama
Jarvis Jones, junior, LB, Georgia
Landry Jones, senior, QB, Oklahoma
Marcus Lattimore, junior, RB, South Carolina
Zach Line, senior, RB, SMU
Tyler Lockett, sophomore, WR/KR, Kansas State
Nigel Malone, senior, DB, Kansas State
Tyrann Matthieu, junior, DB, LSU
AJ McCarron, junior, QB, Alabama
T.J. McDonald, senior, DB, USC
Aaron Murray, junior, QB, Georgia
Alex Okafor, senior, DE, Texas
Branden Oliver, junior, RB, Buffalo
Joseph Randle, junior, RB, Oklahoma State
Silas Redd, junior, RB, Penn State
Denard Robinson, senior, QB, Michigan
Robbie Rouse, senior, RB, Fresno State
Charles Sims, junior, RB, Houston
Geno Smith, senior, QB, West Virginia
Kenny Stills, junior, WR, Oklahoma
Manti Te'o, senior, LB, Notre Dame
Chase Thomas, senior, LB, Stanford
De'Anthony Thomas, sophomore, WR, Oregon
Logan Thomas, junior, QB, Virginia Tech
Joe Vellano, senior, DL, Maryland
Sammy Watkins, sophomore, WR/KR, Clemson
John White, senior, RB, Utah
Tyler Wilson, senior, QB, Arkansas
Robert Woods, junior, WR, USC