BATON ROUGE – LSU quarterback Danny Etling has been named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch list and linebacker Arden Key has been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, the two organizations announced Tuesday.
The Wuerffel Trophy is known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.” Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Etling is a standout in the classroom as he earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team in 2016 and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. The May 2017 graduate in mass communication will begin work on his master’s degree in the fall. Etling is the Vice-Chair of the Southeastern Conference Football Leadership Council after being voted by a group of his peers from other schools in the league.
On the field, Etling started the final 10 games at quarterback in 2015, leading the Tigers to a 7-3 mark over that span. He finished the season with 2,123 passing yards and 11 touchdowns and ranked No. 6 in the SEC in passing yards per game (193.0). Etling paired with Derrius Guice at Texas A&M to become the first duo in school history to have a 300-yard passing/200-yard rushing game.
The formal announcement of the 2017 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City on December 5. LSU’s Rudy Niswanger won the inaugural Wuerffel Trophy in 2005.
The Butkus Award honors is in its 33rd year of recognizing the nation’s best linebackers. The watch list features 51 players, and it is identified by a 51-person selection panel of experienced coaches, talent evaluators and journalists.
Key has already been named to the Maxwell and Bednarik watch lists. The junior set the single-season sacks record a year ago with 12. Key totaled three PBUs and recovered three fumbles in 2016.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a 12-day period this month. Seventeen of the association’s 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the entire 2017 preseason watch list calendar:
2017 NCFAA Awards Preseason Watch List Calendar
Monday, July 10: Bednarik Award – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Maxwell Award – Arden Key and Derrius Guice
Tuesday, July 11: Rimington Trophy – Will Clapp
Thursday, July 13: Bronko Nagurski Trophy – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Outland Trophy – Will Clapp
Friday, July 14: Jim Thorpe Award – Donte Jackson
Monday, July 17: Paul Hornung Award – Derrius Guice / Butkus Award – Arden Key
Tuesday, July 18: Wuerffel Trophy – Danny Etling
Wednesday, July 19: Davey O’Brien Award
Thursday, July 20: Doak Walker Award
Friday, July 21: Walter Camp Award