Saltes Named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – July 25, 2019 – The Wuerffel Trophy, presented by Chick-fil-A Foundation® announced its Watch List today of 86 players from college football’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Teton Slates (Albuquerque, N.M.) is one of those 86 players on the initial watch list. He is the first Lobo to make the watch list since 2015, when Garrett Adcock was one of three semifinalists for the award.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
The SEC led all conferences with 14 players appearing on the 2019 watch list. Following the SEC is the PAC 12 with 11 players, the ACC with 10 and the Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA with 9 players each. The MAC submitted 7, the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference had 6 each while the American Athletic Conference had 3 players named to the list. All FBS Conferences are represented on the list, as were Independent representative Notre Dame and BYU (Army) with 1 nominee each.
Saltes has dedicated a tremendous amount of time to various community service projects and social issues, many close to his heart. He has been trained and volunteered to work the Suicide Prevention Hotline as a Peer Mentor. He also has visited schools to speak on Suicide Awareness and Prevention on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and other Indian Reservations within South Dakota. He also is involved in other projects with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Sweetgrass Project including the BEAR project (Be Excited About Reading). He has volunteered with Oglala Lakota Schools by speaking with school aged children on the struggles they face in life on the reservation and on bullying and how it effects as kids and tools to cope with Bullying.
He also speaks in multiple states, including New Mexico, on various topics. He recently spoke in Santa Fe about the importance of being involved in one’s community and completing one’s education because it can make a difference today. He also serves as a student ambassador for the Save the Children Action Network. In the spring, he missed a week of Spring Practice to attend lobbying activities in Washington D.C. to promote early education. It involved Saltes working closely with U.S. Congressional Representatives in developing policy. He also initiated meetings with “Save the Children Action Network” to promote working closely with many of the Native American Communities on the reservations throughout the United States because many of those communities have great challenges.
2019 WUERFFEL TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY UNIVERSITY)
Isaiah Sanders, Air Force, Senior, QB
Chris Owens, Alabama, Junior, OL
Darrynton Evans, App State, Junior, RB
Malcolm Holland, Arizona, Senior, DB
Eno Benjamin, Arizona State, Junior, RB
Kyle Williams, Arizona State, Senior, WR
T.J. Smith, Arkansas, Senior, DL
Tajhea Chambers, Arkansas State, Junior, LB
Derrick Brown, Auburn, Senior, DL
Kole Bailey, Boise State, Junior, OL
Gabe Skrobot, Bowling Green State, Junior, LS
Matt Otwinowski, Buffalo, Senior, LB
Uriah Leiataua, BYU, Junior, DL
Michael Saffell, Cal, Junior, OL
Tyriq Harris, Charlotte, Senior, DL
Sean Pollard, Clemson, Senior, OL
Silas Kelly, Coastal Carolina, Junior, LB
Adam Prentice, Colorado State, Junior, RB
Koby Quansah, Duke, Senior, LB
Brody Hoying, Eastern Michigan, Senior, DB
James Morgan, FIU, Senior, QB
Tyrie Cleveland, Florida, Senior, WR
DeCalon Brooks, Florida State, Sophomore, LB
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia, Senior, K
Rashad Byrd, Georgia Southern, Senior, LB
Jahaziel Lee, Georgia Tech, Senior, DL
Kiamana Padello, Hawai’i, Senior, DL
Bobby Walker, Illinois, Senior, TE
Nick Westbrook, Indiana, Senior, WR
Ray Lima, Iowa State, Senior, DL
Denzel Goolsby, Kansas State, Senior, DB
Matt Bahr, Kent State, Senior, LB
Landon Young, Kentucky, Junior, OL
Deuce Wallace, Louisiana, Senior, BD
Blake Ferguson, LSU, Senior, LS
Brenden Knox, Marshall, Sophomore, RB
Noah Barnes, Maryland, Junior, TE
Zach McCloud, Miami, Senior, LB
Jack Sorenson, Miami (Ohio), Junior, WR
Cole Chewins, Michigan State, Senior, OL
Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee, Senior, LB
Winston DeLattiboudere, Minnesota, Senior, DL
Kobe Jones, Mississippi State, Junior, DL
Khalil Oliver, Missouri, Senior, DB
James Smith-Williams, N.C. State, Senior, DL
Lucas Weber, Nevada, Senior, LB
Teton Saites, New Mexico, Junior, OL
Josh Adkins, New Mexico State, Sophomore, QB
Jalen Elliott, Notre Dame, Senior, DB
Mufu Tiawo, Old Dominion, Senior, DL
Mac Brown, Ole Miss, Junior, P
Justin Herbert, Oregon, Senior, QB
Dallas Warmack, Oregon, Senior, OL
Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State, Senior, LB
Tre Tipton, Pittsburgh, Senior, WR
Nick Leverett, Rice, Senior, OL
Josh Love, San Jose State, Senior, QB
Tyler Page, SMU, Junior, WR
Brian Ankerson, South Alabama, Junior, OL
Spencer Eason-Riddle, South Carolina, Junior, LB
Treyjohn Butler, Stanford, Senior, DB
Andrew Armstrong, Syracuse, Senior, LB
Kellton Hollins, TCU, Junior, OL
Matt Hennessy, Temple, Junior, OL
Ryan Johnson, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Trey Smith, Tennessee, Junior, OL
Sam Ehlinger, Texas, Junior, QB
Hunter “Hutch” White, Texas State, Senor, WR/ST
Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech, Senior, OL
Bryce Harris, Toledo, Senior, OL
B.J. Smith, Troy, Senior, RB
Jordan Johnson, UCF, Senior, OL
Darren Woods, Jr., UNLV, Senior, WR
Michael Pittman, USC, Senior, WR
Britain Covey, Utah, Junior, WR
Dominik Eberle, Utah State, Senior, K
Derron Gatewood, UTEP, Senior, OL
Andrew Martel, UTSA, Senior, LB
Andre Mintze, Vanderbilt, Junior, LB
Bryce Hall, Virginia, Senior, DB
Cade Carney, Wake Forest, Senior, RB
Nick Harris, Washington, Senior, OL
Evan Staley, West Virginia, Junior, K
Tyler Witt, Western Kentucky, Junior, OL
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan, Senior, QB
Chris Orr, Wisconsin, Senior, LB
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities’ Sports Information Departments. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 5 and finalists will be announced on November 18.
The formal announcement of the 2019 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation’s festivities in New York City on December 10. The presentation of the 2019 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 51st All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 14, 2020 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the award are: Rudy Niswanger – LSU – 2005; Joel Penton – Ohio State – 2006; Paul Smith – Tulsa – 2008; Tim Tebow – Florida – 2008; Tim Hiller – Western Michigan – 2009; Sam Acho – Texas – 2010; Barrett Jones – Alabama – 2011; Matt Barkley – USC – 2012; Gabe Ikard – Oklahoma – 2013; Deterrian Shackelford – Ole Miss – 2014; Ty Darlington – Oklahoma – 2015; Trevor Knight – Texas A&M – 2016; Courtney Love – Kentucky – 2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The Wuerffel Trophy is supported by its corporate partners, Chick-fil-A Foundation, Dart Container Corporation/Solo Cup and Herff Jones.