It’s official. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is really good. He now has a ton of hardware to back up that claim. Mariota claimed three different awards on his way to Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Presentation in New York City.
Mariota won the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year before the evening was finished. Each of those awards will reside in Eugene, Oregon, for the first very time. As the favorite to claim the Heisman Trophy, Mariota will likely add that to the Ducks’ ever-expanding trophy room.
But the Oregon quarterback wasn’t the only Pac-12 performer to dominate during the awards circuit.
Arizona’s Scooby Wright III swept the three categories in which he was a finalist. Wright is the third-straight defender to win the Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award. With 28 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and six forced fumbles, Wright seemed like a shoe-in for the Butkus Award and possibly a darkhorse candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He wasn’t a finalist for either. The Heisman Trophy snub is somewhat understandable but only being a write-in candidate as one of the nation’s top linebackers is unfathomable.
Wright’s Butkus Award worthiness aside, below are the winners of this year’s college football awards:
Maxwell Award (Player of the Year)
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Walter Camp Player of the Year
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year)
Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Nation’s Outstanding Defensive Player)
Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Rotary Lombardi Award (Nation’s Outstanding Lineman)
Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Davey O’Brien Award (Nation’s Best Quarterback)
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Biletnikoff Award (Best Wide Receiver)
Amari Cooper, Alabama
John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Nick O’Leary, Florida State
Outland Trophy (Most Outstanding Interior Lineman)
Brandon Scherff, Iowa
Rimington Trophy (Best Center)
Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)
Gerod Holliman, Louisville
Lou Groza Award (Best Kicker)
Brad Craddock, Maryland
Ray Guy (Best Punter)
Tom Hackett, Utah
Home Depot Coach of the Year
Gary Patterson, TCU
Frank Broyles Award (Top Assistant Coach)
Tom Herman, Ohio State
NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award
Grant Teaff
Disney Spirit Award
Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma