FWAA 2022 Season News

FWAA Annually Awards Beat Writer of the Year

The second in a series of the winning articles in the 31st Annual FWAA Best Writing Contest presented by collegepressbox.

Two former first-place winners and three other FWAA household names claimed top honors in the 31st Annual FWAA Best Writing Contest presented by collegepressbox announced today.

This is the first of four posts of winning stories in the 31st Annual FWAA Best Writing Contest presented by collegepressbox.

Two first-time winners and nine previous ones comprise the 14th Super 11 Awards, which the Football Writers Association of America give out annually to the best performing College Sports Communicators departments in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The awards announced this week are for the 2022 season.

Call to Entries for 31st Annual FWAA Best Writing Contest 

DALLAS (FWAA) – North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was the toast of Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks this season, throwing for 38 touchdowns and leading the league in passing yards (4,321) and total touchdowns (45). For his dynamic efforts that led the Tar Heels (9-5) to the ACC’s Coastal Division title, the Football Writers Association of America awarded him as its Freshman Player of the Year presented by Chris Doering Mortgage.

DALLAS (FWAA) – TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who guided the Horned Frogs to a 12-0 start, their first bid to the College Football Playoff and into the national championship game in this his first season in Fort Worth, is the winner of the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America and Chris Doering Mortgage.

TCU head coach Sonny Dykes guided the Horned Frogs to a 12-0 start and their first berth in the College Football Playoff in this his first season, thrilling fans along the way with a series of come-from-behind wins behind a dynamic offense that produced a Heisman Trophy finalist. In recognition of TCU's five wins over nationally-ranked opponents and playing at a championship level throughout the season, Dykes has won the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America and presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Oregon tight end Cam McCormick is the 21st annual recipient of the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. McCormick bounced back from multiple season-ending injuries and overcame several family and personal struggles to play in every game for the No. 15 Ducks this season, his seventh with the program.

The 2022 Football Writers Association of America All-America Team, presented in partnership with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, is headlined by nine first-teamers from the four teams competing in the College Football Playoff, three repeat All-Americans and a record 16 total selections from the Big Ten Conference. There are 19 schools represented from six Football Bowl Subdivision conferences on the first team and 34 different schools and eight conferences plus an Independent included on the overall 54-man team.

Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi was named the recipient of the 77th Outland Trophy on Thursday night during The Home Depot College Football Awards. The Outland Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s best college interior lineman on offense or defense. Oluwatimi is the Wolverines’ first Outland Trophy winner.

The Football Writers Association of America, in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced eight finalists for the 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday. The award will have a first-time winner this season chosen from among a list of three repeat finalists from 2021, five former finalists overall, three coaches competing in this season’s College Football Playoff and five who are leading conference champions. Four of them will face other finalists in their bowl games.

For the second time in the award’s history, a repeat winner has claimed the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has once again been chosen as the nation’s top defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The Southeastern Conference leader in sacks and tackles for loss will be honored Tuesday night with the award here.

OMAHA (FWAA) – A center on the nation’s fifth-best rushing offense and national title contender, the highest-graded offensive tackle throughout the season and one of the nation’s top pass rushing threats are the three finalists for the 2022 Outland Trophy by the Football Writers Association of America. Calijah Kancey of Pitt, a defensive tackle with 14.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks; Olusegun Oluwatimi, a center who has helped guide Michigan to consecutive Big Ten East division titles, and Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, a perennial Big Ten stalwart and pro scout favorite, are this season’s superior linemen.

Each week during the 2022 season, we will highlight the notable performances of first-year players and head coaches leading up to the selection of our annual Freshman All-America Team and the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award presented by Chris Doering Mortgage. Here are the top performances from Week 13, the weekend of Nov. 26:

The Michigan Wolverines beat arch-rival Ohio State on the road for the first time since 2000 with a 45-23 win in Columbus. In outscoring the Buckeyes 28-3 in the second half and take the Big Ten East Division title for a second consecutive season, Michigan (12-0) earned the Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 26, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Roosevelt University coach Jared Williamson is this week’s nominee for the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. Williamson was seriously injured in a car accident in October, resulting in several broken bones and multiple surgeries.

The South Carolina Gamecocks stunned No. 5 Tennessee with touchdowns on all five of their first-half drives, winning the SEC East battle 63-38 and setting records in the process. For its school-record point total against a top-five opponent and its second-highest ever against an SEC foe, South Carolina (7-4) earned the Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 19, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Each week during the 2022 season, we will highlight the notable performances of first-year players and head coaches leading up to the selection of our annual Freshman All-America Team and the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award presented by Chris Doering Mortgage. Here are the top performances from Week 12, the weekend of Nov. 19