Arkansas senior center Frank Ragnow and Arkansas State University senior cornerback and punt return specialist Blaise Taylor have been named among 20 semifinalists for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
Three finalists will be named Dec. 11, and the winner will be announced at an award ceremony Feb. 22 in Frisco, Texas. The winner will also have a $10,000 scholarship in his name donated to his school's athletic scholarship fund.
The award is much like the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year, which Witten won in 2012 as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, and it will be given to the Division I player "who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field."
Last week, Taylor was named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy for the "absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation." He is ASU's all-time leader in punt return yards and is the only current FBS player in the nation to earn both his bachelor's and master's degrees before the start of his true senior season. He and his sister, Starr, a sophomore guard on ASU women's basketball team, created a nonprofit organization this year called "The Power of 1 or 2" that works with underprivileged, at-risk children.
Ragnow was considered one of the best centers in college football when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury Oct. 21 during a game against Auburn. He is a captain on this year's team and was nominated for the Football Writers Association of America Courage Award last year when he played every game following the death of his father the night of the fifth game of the season.
Other semifinalists for the award are: Azeez Al-Shaair (Florida Atlantic), Braxton Berrios (Miami, Fla.), David Blough (Purdue), Adam Breneman (Massachusetts), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama), Zaire Franklin (Syracuse), KeShun Freeman (Georgia Tech), Zack Golditch (Colorado State), Shaquem Griffin (Central Florida), Luke Jackson (Tulane), Shaq Jones (Alabama-Birmigham), Keith Kirkwood (Temple), Micah Kiser (Virginia), Derek McCartney (Colorado), Jake Olson (USC), Harrison Phillips (Stanford), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) and Brandon Smith (Penn State).