College football award predictions: Who will

The 2022 season was chock loaded with fantastic performances on some of the greatest phases, from Caleb Williams assisting change USC into a playoff competitor to Blake Corum’s eight straight 100-yard games in assisting Michigan win back-to-back Huge 10 titles to Marvin Harrison Jr.’s introduction as probably the country’s most interesting receiver.They’ll be among the

stars on hand for the House Depot College Football Awards on Thursday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App) as the top players are honored and much of the country’s most prestigious awards are handed out.Here are our choices for who need to– and who will– pick up some prized hardware Thursday.Chuck Bednarik Award(defensive player of the

year) Finalists: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama; Ivan Rate Jr., Cincinnati; Tuli Tuipulotu, USC Who need to win: Anderson. The Alabama edge rush had 51 deals with

, 17 choosing a loss, 10 sacks and 12 QB rushes– all of which counted as something of a down year by his standards. There’s no protector in the nation more feared– and more productive– than Anderson.Who will win: Anderson Biletnikoff Award( exceptional receiver ) Marvin Harrison Jr. had 8 straight 100-yard games. Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire Finalists: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State; Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee Who must win: Harrison. With a variety of Ohio State’s crucial ability position players hurt, Harrison blossomed into the most formidable pass-catcher in the nation this season. His 1,157 getting lawns were 2nd most in the Big 10, his 12 receiving TDs tied for the national lead, and he was Pro Football Focus ‘highest-graded receiver in the nation. For the season, Harrison had simply two drops and reeled in 56 %of his contested catches, the second-best rate in the nation.Who will win: Harrison Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award (exceptional place-kicker) Finalists: Christopher Dunn, NC State; Joshua Karty, Stanford; Jake Moody, Michigan Who need to win: Dunn in a close one. While Karty didn’t miss a field-goal

shot this season, he had seven fewer attempts than Dunn, who was also best on PATs(while Karty was 24-of-25). Dunn linked on 24 basket, was 10-of-11 beyond 40 and hit on both of his attempts of 50 lawns or more.Who will win: Dunn Ray Man Award (punter of the year )Finalists: Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati; Bryce Baringer, Michigan State; Adam Korsak, Rutgers Who must win: South Carolina’s Kai Kroeger wasn’t a finalist, but he’s most likely to

leading lots of All-America lists after leading the nation with 51.9%of his punts downed inside the opponent’s

20-yard line and 25 %inside the 10. Who will win: Baringer. This award tends to come down to the heading numbers, and Baringer has a handle on those. He led the country with approximately 49 backyards per punt and 45.7 net.Maxwell Award( college

player of the year) Caleb Williams threw 37 goals to just four interceptions. Image by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire Finalists: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State; Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; Caleb Williams, USC Who need to win: Hooker. Possibly this is a possibility for a makeup call for snubbing Hooker as a Heisman Prize finalist, however the reality is, up until his injury, he was clearly the best

player in the nation. His 89.4 Overall QBR is ahead of Stroud( 87.7)and Williams( 86.5), and his 27-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio is tops in the nation. More significantly, he entirely elevated Tennessee football this season, putting the Vols within striking distance of a playoff bid before getting harmed in the penultimate game of the regular season versus South Carolina.Who will win: Williams. He finished 3rd nationally in overall backyards and first in goals while turning the ball over simply four times. That’s a quite simple case to make.Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (finest quarterback) 1 Associated Finalists: Max Duggan, TCU; CJ Stroud, Ohio State; Caleb Williams, USC Who must win: Williams. How close are the numbers between Stroud and Williams? Stroud finished 66.2%of his throws. Williams finished 66.1%. Stroud threw 37 goals. So did Williams. Stroud balanced 9.4 yards per pass. Williams balanced 9.1. Stroud had seven turnovers. Williams had 5. But the slight edge goes to Williams, who did more with his legs and dealt with a much less consistent offensive line (29 sacks compared to simply 8 for Stroud). Who will win: Williams Outland Prize( most exceptional interior lineman)Finalists: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; Peter Skoronski, Northwestern Who must win: Kancey. The ACC’s protective player of the year was an outright monster on the interior of Pitt’s defensive line in 2022. Kancey acquired seven sacks and 14 takes on for loss while adding 10 QB hurries on the season. He was the second-best Power 5 interior lineman, according to Pro Football Focus, after Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who missed out on several

games. While it’s impossible to straight compare Kancey’s

efficiency with two offending linemen, his work was terribly reminiscent of another Pitt fantastic– Aaron Donald. And if a

player is drawing those comparisons, it’s simple enough to see why he might win the Outland Trophy, simply as Donald carried out in 2013. Who will win: Kancey Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (best protective back ) Clark Phillips III is among the very best players in the nation with six interceptions. Image by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire Finalists: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU; Clark Phillips III, Utah; Devon Witherspoon, Illinois Who ought to win: Witherspoon. Yes, Phillips is among the most outstanding players in the nation, and his 6 interceptions will turn heads with voters, however on a down-for-down basis,

Witherspoon has the edge. He

was the top-graded Power 5 corner, according to Pro Football Focus, permitting simply 16 conclusions on 54 targets– with none opting for goals. He bested Phillips in backyards enabled per coverage snap, yards per target and objected to targets. And while Phillips did have a distinct edge in INTs(6 to three), Witherspoon included another 14 pass separations to Phillips ‘six.Who will win: Phillips. Hey, interceptions look excellent on a box score, and the reality is, Phillips genuinely is among the best players in the country– even if Witherspoon’s stat line was a little better.Doak Walker Award (premier running back )Finalists: Chase Brown, Illinois; Blake Corum, Michigan; Bijan Robinson, Texas Who need to win: Robinson. Playing behind either a freshman or backup QB all season, Robinson was the focal point of every defense Texas dealt with, and he still finished the season with 1,580 rushing lawns and 18 touchdowns. His 1,894 scrimmage lawns led the nation, and his 20 overall touchdowns ranked 2nd behind Pitt

‘s Israel Abanikanda. Robinson also ended up the season as the most popular player in the nation, topping 100 lawns on the ground in nine of his last 10 games, consisting of more than 200 twice.Who will win: Corum.

Robinson might edge him out after Corum was injured

late in the Nov. 19 win over Illinois, however for the first 10 games of the season

, Corum was the well-defined top back in the nation and a Heisman contender. He still finished with 1,463 rushing lawns and 18 goals– numbers similar to Robinson– and voters may forgive the late-season lack to reward the player who brought his team the outermost. That’s clearly Corum.John Mackey Award( outstanding tight end) Finalists: Brock Bowers, Georgia; Michael Mayer, Notre Dame; Sam LaPorta, Iowa Who ought to win: Mayer. He was the point male in Notre Dame’s offense this season, and he delivered huge results. Mayer was second nationally

amongst tight ends in catches(67 ), backyards( 809 )and lawns per path(2.57), and he led all tight ends with nine touchdown grabs and 20 objected to catches. However what sets him apart from Bowers and others is his remarkable stopping. He obstructed on 417 snaps this season and missed just two of them.Who will win: Mayer Rimington Trophy(exceptional center)Finalists: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota; Brett Neilon, USC Who need to win: Oluwatimi. The Virginia transfer progressed as the leader of Michigan’s offensive line this season, allowing just

two pressures and no sacks while missing out on simply a handful of blocks on the year. Oluwatimi obstructed

for among the most effective ground games in the nation and kept QB J.J. McCarthy in a clean pocket consistently. The result was a 2nd straight Huge Ten title for the Wolverines.Who will win: Oluwatimi