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Bobo Selected Jason Witten Man of the Year Semifinalist
11/10/2021 12:00:00 PM | Football
DALLAS – Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo was announced as one of 20 semifinalists for the fifth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Bobo, a 6-5, 215-pound North Andover, Mass., native has been instrumental in Duke's offensive presence throughout his four years. In 41 career games (22 starts), he has registered 110 receptions for 1,275 yards with three touchdowns. In nine games this year, 31 of his 59 receptions have resulted in a first down. Earlier this season, Bobo became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so in 2017.
In the community, Bobo has volunteered his time working with Habitat for Humanity building houses, made visits to the local children's hospital and participated in Duke's Reading with the Blue Devils program. Bobo has also stepped up to be a team ambassador, leading efforts to support diversity and inclusion by coordinating education and roundtable discussions within the Blue Devil program and the local community. While doing this, he collaborated with teammates, coaches and staff to make Duke Football, Duke Athletics and the Duke Community a more educated and accepting environment for people of all walks of life.
Eighteen seniors and two juniors make up the list. Among conferences, the ACC and Big Ten led the way with four selections each, while the SEC and Big 12 had three each. The Pac 12 and MAC each had two semifinalists, while the American Athletic Conference had one selection. There is also one semifinalist from an FBS Independent program.
Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, December 15. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on February 17, 2022.
Last year, Sam Ehlinger of Texas won the award. The first three Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D'Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018 and Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019.
The award, 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. 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, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten 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.
"It's my honor to announce this impressive group of young men as semifinalists for the fifth annual Collegiate Man of the Year," said Witten. "These student-athletes are perfect examples of what makes college football so great. They have demonstrated exceptional character and leadership, often while facing large challenges. They are great representatives for the game of football, and I commend all nominees for getting to this point."
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 14 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 two states.
The full list of semifinalists includes (in alphabetical order):
Grant Morgan Arkansas
Brandon Martin Ball State
James Empey BYU
Elijah Hicks California
Desmond Ridder Cincinnati
Darien Rencher Clemson
Jake Bobo Duke
Vederian Lowe Illinois
Skylar Thompson Kansas State
Joshua Paschal Kentucky
Tanner Morgan Minnesota
Austin Williams Mississippi State
Adrian Martinez Nebraska
Patrick Fields Oklahoma
Sean Clifford Penn State
Nick Figueroa Southern California
Kingsley Jonathan Syracuse
Tony Bradford, Jr. Texas Tech
Bryce Harris Toledo
Brock Hoffman Virginia Tech
#GoDuke
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Bobo, a 6-5, 215-pound North Andover, Mass., native has been instrumental in Duke's offensive presence throughout his four years. In 41 career games (22 starts), he has registered 110 receptions for 1,275 yards with three touchdowns. In nine games this year, 31 of his 59 receptions have resulted in a first down. Earlier this season, Bobo became the first Duke receiver to record back-to-back games with 100-plus yards receiving since T.J. Rahming did so in 2017.
In the community, Bobo has volunteered his time working with Habitat for Humanity building houses, made visits to the local children's hospital and participated in Duke's Reading with the Blue Devils program. Bobo has also stepped up to be a team ambassador, leading efforts to support diversity and inclusion by coordinating education and roundtable discussions within the Blue Devil program and the local community. While doing this, he collaborated with teammates, coaches and staff to make Duke Football, Duke Athletics and the Duke Community a more educated and accepting environment for people of all walks of life.
Eighteen seniors and two juniors make up the list. Among conferences, the ACC and Big Ten led the way with four selections each, while the SEC and Big 12 had three each. The Pac 12 and MAC each had two semifinalists, while the American Athletic Conference had one selection. There is also one semifinalist from an FBS Independent program.
Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, December 15. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on February 17, 2022.
Last year, Sam Ehlinger of Texas won the award. The first three Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D'Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018 and Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019.
The award, 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. 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, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten 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.
"It's my honor to announce this impressive group of young men as semifinalists for the fifth annual Collegiate Man of the Year," said Witten. "These student-athletes are perfect examples of what makes college football so great. They have demonstrated exceptional character and leadership, often while facing large challenges. They are great representatives for the game of football, and I commend all nominees for getting to this point."
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 14 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 two states.
The full list of semifinalists includes (in alphabetical order):
Grant Morgan Arkansas
Brandon Martin Ball State
James Empey BYU
Elijah Hicks California
Desmond Ridder Cincinnati
Darien Rencher Clemson
Jake Bobo Duke
Vederian Lowe Illinois
Skylar Thompson Kansas State
Joshua Paschal Kentucky
Tanner Morgan Minnesota
Austin Williams Mississippi State
Adrian Martinez Nebraska
Patrick Fields Oklahoma
Sean Clifford Penn State
Nick Figueroa Southern California
Kingsley Jonathan Syracuse
Tony Bradford, Jr. Texas Tech
Bryce Harris Toledo
Brock Hoffman Virginia Tech
#GoDuke
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