July 15, 2004
Georgia Tech sophomore quarterback Reggie Ball is among the 42 candidates on the preseason watch list for the 2004 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, given annually to the nation’s top college quarterback, the Dave O’Brien Foundation announced.
The 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, Ball set Tech freshman records for passing yards (1,996) and total offense (2,380). The Stone Mountain, Ga., native started every game as a true freshman last fall.
The Yellow Jackets, coming off their seventh straight winning season and seventh consecutive bowl berth, report for preseason practice on Aug. 4. Tech opens the season at home on Sept. 4 versus Samford.
The O’Brien Award is the oldest award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O’Brien, the All-American and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for Texas Christian University who led the Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship.
Tech’s Joe Hamilton won the O’Brien Award in 1999, the same year he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Semifinalists will be announced in early November and narrowed to three finalists later in that month by the O’Brien National Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of nationally known sportswriters, commentators and other members of the media. The winner of the 2004 O’Brien Award will be announced Dec. 9 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla. The winner will be honored at the 28th Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner in February 2005, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
The 42 candidates on the watch list are:
Derek Anderson……………. Sr……….. Oregon State
Reggie Ball…………………… So………. Georgia Tech
Brock Berlin…………………. Sr……….. Miami (Fla)
Jon Beutjer…………………… Sr……….. Illinois
Timmy Chang……………….. Sr……….. Hawaii
Kellen Clemens…………….. Jr……….. Oregon
Brodie Croyle……………….. Jr……….. Alabama
Jay Cutler…………………….. Jr……….. Vanderbilt
Darian Durant……………….. Sr……….. North Carolina
Charlie Frye…………………. Sr……….. Akron
Bruce Gradkowski………… Jr……….. Toledo
David Greene……………….. Sr……….. Georgia
Gino Guidugli………………… Sr……….. Cincinnati
Darrell Hackney……………. Jr……….. UAB
Josh Haldi……………………. Sr……….. Northern Illinois
Scott Hall…………………….. Jr……….. North Texas
Stan Hill………………………. Sr……….. Marshall
Matt Jones…………………… Sr……….. Arkansas
Stefan LeFors……………….. Sr……….. Louisville
Chris Leak…………………… So………. Florida
Matt Leinart…………………. Jr……….. USC
Matt LoVecchio……………. Sr……….. Indiana
James Kilian…………………. Sr……….. Tulsa
Joel Klatt……………………… Jr……….. Colorado
Kevin Kolb………………….. So………. Houston
Reggie McNeal…………….. Jr……….. Texas A&M
Rasheed Marshall………….. Sr……….. West Virginia
Zack Mills……………………. Sr……….. Penn State
Kyle Orton…………………… Sr……….. Purdue
Dan Orlovsky……………….. Sr……….. Connecticut
Brady Quinn…………………. So………. Notre Dame
Paul Pinegar…………………. Jr……….. Fresno State
Bryan Randall……………….. Sr……….. Virginia Tech
Chris Rix……………………… Sr……….. Florida State
Aaron Rodgers……………… Jr……….. California
Alex Smith……………………. Jr……….. Utah
Brad Smith…………………… Jr……….. Missouri
Andrew Walter……………… Sr……….. Arizona State
Jason White………………….. Sr……….. Oklahoma
Charlie Whitehurst…………. Jr……….. Clemson
Danny Wimprine……………. Sr……….. Memphis
Vince Young………………… So………. Texas
