UK's Josh Allen named Walter Camp Award finalist
Coming off record-setting season with the Wildcats, senior linebacker is the only defensive player in the nation to make the list of finalists.
Josh Allen's record-setting season at Kentucky has earned him a place among the finalists for one of the nation's most prestigious college football awards.
The Walter Camp Foundation named the Wildcats' senior linebacker as one of five finalists for its Player of the Year award on Wednesday.
Allen is the only defensive player to be named a finalist, joining quarterbacks Will Grier (West Virginia, senior), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, junior), Gardner Minshew (Washington State, senior) and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama, sophomore).
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Allen has recorded 84 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, four pass break-ups and five forced fumbles for the No. 15 Wildcats, who finished the regular season at 9-3, their best season since 1977.
Allen was a driving force behind a Kentucky unit that at one point in early November led the nation in scoring defense. The Montclair, N.J., native was a three-time national defensive player of the week honoree.
He also set new school records for single-season sacks (14) and career sacks (28.5). He currently ranks third nationally in sacks this season.
Allen, who is also a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Butkus Award, is being projected by many scouts as a high first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 6, during the 6 p.m. ET edition of ESPN SportsCenter.
The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s 52nd annual national awards banquet, presented by David McDermott Lexus of New Haven, on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 at Yale University’s Lanman Center.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side.