Louisville QB Malik Cunningham Named to Walter Camp Award Watch List

The award is presented annually to the top player in college football.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham has been named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp 2022 Player of the Year award, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Friday.

Cunningham is one of 52 players named to the watch list. He's also one of 44 offensive players, 22 quarterbacks and seven players from the ACC to make the list.

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November, with the winner being announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show towards the end of the season. The recipient is voted on by the 130 FBS head coaches and sports information directors.

This is now the third preseason honor for the redshirt senior. Cunningham was also named to the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award watch lists.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound dual threat signal caller was not only Louisville's heart and soul on offense in 2021, but one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC. He completed 62.0 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns to only six interceptions, while also rushing for 1,031 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

Cunningham's 20 rushing scores was good for fourth in the nation, and he became the 14th player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. His 305.5 yards per game ranked 14th in all of FBS, and his 3,972 total yards of offense came in at 9th. He finished just one passing touchdown shy of joining the exclusive 20/20 club.

The Montgomery, Ala. native heads into his final year with 10,715 career yards of offense and 100 career offensive touchdowns scored. That puts him within striking distance of Lamar Jackson's career marks of 13,175 yards and 119 touchdowns, both of which are best in Louisville history.

Louisville finished last season with a mark of 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the ACC, including a 31-28 loss in the First Responder Bowl against Air Force. The Cardinals will kick off their 2022 campaign at Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 3.

2022 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List

Jordan Addison, WR, junior, USC
Rasheen Ali, RB, sophomore, Marshall
Braelon Allen, RB, sophomore, Wisconsin
Will Anderson, LB, junior, Alabama
Kayshon Boutte, WR, junior, LSU
Brock Bowers, TE, sophomore, Georgia
Andre Carter II, LB, junior, Army West Point
Jalen Carter, DT, junior, Georgia
Dante Cephas, WR, junior, Kent State
Sean Clifford, QB, senior, Penn State
Blake Corum, RB, junior, Michigan
Malik Cunningham, QB, senior, Louisville
JT Daniels, QB, junior, West Virginia
Josh Downs, WR, junior, North Carolina
Dillon Gabriel, QB, junior, Oklahoma
Brett Gabbert, QB, junior, Miami (Ohio)
Jake Haener, QB, senior, Fresno State
Jaren Hall, QB, junior, BYU
Frank Harris, QB, senior, UTSA
Sam Hartman, QB, senior, Wake Forest
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, sophomore, Ohio State
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, senior, Iowa State
Quentin Johnston, WR, junior, TCU
Phil Jurkovec, QB, senior, Boston College
Calijah Kancey, DT, junior, Pittsburgh
Devin Leary, QB, junior, North Carolina State
Will Levis, QB, senior, Kentucky
Grayson McCall, QB, senior, Coastal Carolina
Will McDonald IV, DE, senior, Iowa State
Michael Mayer, TE, junior Notre Dame
Tanner Mordecai, QB, senior, SMU
Lew Nicholls, RB, sophomore, Central Michigan
Aiden O’Connell, QB, senior, Purdue
Spencer Rattler, QB, junior, South Carolina
Eli Ricks, DB, junior, Alabama
Kelee Ringo, DB, sophomore, Georgia
Brad Roberts, RB, senior, Air Force
Bijan Robinson, RB, junior, Texas
Chris Rodriquez, RB, senior, Kentucky
Spencer Sanders, QB, senior, Oklahoma State
Noah Sewell, LB, junior, Oregon
Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, junior, Ohio State
C.J. Stroud, QB, sophomore, Ohio State
Tavion Thomas, RB, junior, Utah
Payton Thorne, QB, junior, Michigan State
Cedric Tillman, WR, senior, Tennessee
Sean Tucker, RB, sophomore, Syracuse
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, sophomore, Miami (Fla.)
Deuce Vaughn, RB, junior, Kansas State
Caleb Williams, QB, sophomore, USC
Xavier Worthy, WR, sophomore, Texas
Bryce Young, QB, junior, Alabama

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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