Justin Fields Named to Davey O'Brien Award Watch List

The Buckeye quarterback is considered one of the top players in the country

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has been named to the 2020 Davey O'Brien Award Watch List. The award is presented annually to the best quarterback in the country, judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation. The annual awards dinner and trophy presentations are hosted at the Davey O'Brien Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The award has been bestowed by the foundation each year since 1981. Justin Fields will try to join Troy Smith (2006) as the only other Ohio State Buckeye to earn that recognition.

Fields had a magnificent year for the Buckeyes in his first season wearing the Scarlet and Gray. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last year and is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He finished the year with 41 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, throwing for 3,273 yards in 14 games. He also ran for 484 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is one of the heavy favorites to win this year's Heisman Trophy.

Davey O'Brien was one of the great college quarterbacks of all-time and is a native of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. O'Brien played back in the late 1930's, where he won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and was drafted fourth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1939. He broke the NFL record for passing yards in a season as a rookie with 1,324 yards. He retired after two seasons.

The National College Football Awards Association will roll out watch lists over the next two weeks for all of the major national awards. They include:

July 13 - Bednarik Award (Watch list includes Shaun Wade)

July 14 - Davey O'Brien Award

July 15 - Doak Walker Award

July 16 - Biletnikoff Award

July 17 - John Mackey Award

July 20 - Butkus Award and Paycom Jim Thorpe Award

July 21 - Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy

July 22 - Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award

July 23 - Paul Hornung Award and Wuerffel Trophy

July 24 - Maxwell Award

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