Hopkins Among Top QBs for O'Brien Award

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Davey O'Brien Foundation has revealed the 2019 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List today and senior Kelvin Hopkins Jr. is among the top quarterbacks in the nation. The group includes 30 of the nation's top returning college quarterbacks. The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Appearing on the watch list is not a requirement for a player to win the award. Quarterbacks from all NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools are eligible. "For Kelvin to be selected as one of the top 30 quarterbacks in the nation is a testament to his ability along with his determination to be the best he can be," head coach Jeff Monken said. "He has worked extremely hard and deserves to be mentioned among the top quarterbacks in the country. All last season, Kelvin displayed his ability to lead our team to victory through his performances on the ground and through the air and we're anxious to see him lead our team again this year as one of our team captains." Under center last year, Hopkins Jr. became the first player in Academy history to throw and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. He also registered five rushing touchdowns in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to tie the Army single-game record. The Charlotte, N.C., native closed out his first year as the primary play caller with 17 rushing touchdowns, which tied Carlton Jones '06 and Trent Steelman '13 for a single-season program record. Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on player performance during the previous year and expectations heading into the 2019 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at their current institution. Fifteen seniors, nine juniors and six sophomores comprise the list. Among conferences, the SEC leads the way for the third straight season with a half-dozen selections. Other leagues with at least three members on the watch list are the Pac-12 (5), Big 12 (4) and Big Ten (3). Nearly half of the quarterbacks are products of either California (7) or Texas (6) high schools. Sixteen semifinalists for the award will be named on Wednesday, Nov. 13. From that list, the Foundation will announce the three finalists on Monday, Nov. 25. The 2019 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN Thursday, Dec. 12, during The Home Depot College Football Awards. The 2019 season marks the 13th year that fans will be invited to participate in the voting process on VoteOBrien.org. Results from the Davey O'Brien fan vote will be combined with the ballots from the selection committee. The Black Knights kick off their season Aug. 30 when they host Rice at Michie Stadium at 6 p.m. Army will be looking to start the season off right with its 14th straight home victory. --------