July 18, 2012
Complete Davey O'Brien Watch List
FORT WORTH, Tex. - University of Illinois junior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was named to the preseason watch list for the 2012 Davey O'Brien Award on Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the nation's top quarterback. He is one of five Big Ten signal-callers named to the watch list along with Taylor Martinez (Nebraska), Braxton Miller (Ohio State), Denard Robinson (Michigan) and James Vandenberg (Iowa).
Scheelhaase enters his third season as Illinois' starting quarterback after leading Illinois to back-to-back bowl victories as a freshman and sophomore, becoming only the second Big Ten quarterback to accomplish the feat. He raised his completion percentage to 63.2 percent in 2011 from 58.7 in 2010 and threw for 285 more yards last season (2,110) than in 2010 (1,825). Scheelhaase also threw 13 touchdown passes and rushed for six more while leading the Illini in rushing yards with 624. He enters 2012 second in school history in career passing efficiency (132.7), sixth in career total offense yardage (5,427), and ninth in career passing yardage (3,935), career touchdown passes (30) and career completions (339).
Illinois now has had five players named to a total of 13 different watch lists heading into the 2012 campaign, as Scheelhaase joins junior linebacker Jonathan Brown, senior defensive end Michael Buchanan, senior center Graham Pocic and junior defensive tackle Akeem Spence on the list of Illini earning national preseason honors.
The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is named for the former TCU star quarterback who became the first player to win the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies in the same year as he led the Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. Baylor's Robert Griffin III won the 2011 Davey O'Brien Award.
Illini 2012 Preseason Honors & Watch Lists (as of 7/18)
• Jonathan Brown, LB - Nagurski Trophy (Def. POY), Bednarik Award (Def. POY), Lott Trophy (Def. POY),Butkus Award (LB), Rotary Lombardi Award (OL, DL or LB), Phil Steele All-American (fourth team)
• Michael Buchanan, DE - Nagurski Trophy (Def. POY). Bednarik Award (Def. POY), Rotary Lombardi Award (OL, DL or LB)
• Graham Pocic, C - Outland Trophy (Interior line), Rimington Trophy (C)
• Nathan Scheelhaase, QB - Davey O'Brien Award (QB)
• Akeem Spence, DT - Outland Trophy (interior line), Rotary Lombardi Award (OL, DL or LB)
