CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois senior guard Nick Allegretti was named one of 20 semifinalists for the prestigious Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, the award's selection committee announced Thursday. The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field.
Allegretti has been voted a captain by his teammates for two straight seasons and leads the team with 34 consecutive starts. A 2017 honorable mention All-Big Ten performer, he is also the team leader when it comes to community service initiatives.
Allegretti is active in volunteering for the Tom Jones Challenger League, and he is the team's Uplifting Athletes chapter president and Lift for Life organizer, where he helped to raise over $88,000 for rare disease research and awareness over the last two years. He is a two-time AFCA Good Works Team preseason watch list honoree, two-time Wuerffel Trophy nominee, 2018 Senior CLASS Award candidate and 2018 Campbell Trophy semifinalist.
Allegretti is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, having already graduated with a degree in accountancy.
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 10. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on February 12, 2018, at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund.
Last year, the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year was presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF, who helped lead the Knights to a perfect season while becoming one of the most inspirational stories in all of sports.
The full list of semifinalists includes: Bryce Holland (Army), Derrick Brown (Auburn), Johnathan Lloyd (Duke), Azeez Al-Shaair (Florida Atlantic), J-Shun Harris (Indiana), Nick Allegretti (Illinois), David Montgomery (Iowa State), Joe Dineen, Jr. (Kansas), Dalton Risner (Kansas State), Brent Stockstill (Middle Tennessee), Tommy Doles (Northwestern), Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame), Oshane Ximines (Old Dominion), Justin Herbert (Oregon), Trace McSorley (Penn State), Kieran Whitner (Syracuse), Kyle Phillips (Tennessee), Andrew Beck (Texas), Ty Summers (TCU) and D'Cota Dixon (Wisconsin).
