Aug. 19, 2004
ATLANTA–Georgia Tech tailback P.J. Daniels has been named one of 40 “Players to Watch” for the prestigious Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
A junior from Houston, Texas, Daniels led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing in 2003 with 1,447 yards, the fourth-highest season total in league annals. He earned first-team all-ACC honors, making him the first returning all-ACC running back in Tech history.
The 5-10, 210-pound workhorse scored 11 touchdowns, including 10 rushing, while setting a Tech season record for carries. He was also the Jackets’ fourth-leading receiver with 19 catches for 88 yards.
Daniels put an exclamation point on his outstanding season with an NCAA-bowl game record 307 yards rushing and four touchdowns versus Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl.
A former walk-on who earned a scholarship after the 2002 season, Daniels was also an ACC All-Academic selection in 2003 as well as a member of the 2003-04 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
This fall, he is a preseason all-ACC choice by virtually every publication as well as a candidate for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back.
The watch list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists in early November. The 2004 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 117 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on February 13, 2005 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
Last year’s recipient was University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the first-ever sophomore to capture the honor. Fitzgerald is currently a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
2004 Walter Camp Player of the Year "Watch List"Marion Barber III, RB, MinnesotaCedric Bensen, RB, TexasJosh Bullocks, LB, NebraskaTimmy Chang, QB, HawaiiPatrick Cobbs, RB, North TexasDan Cody, DE, OklahomaMark Clayton, WR, OklahomaP.J. Daniels, RB, Georgia TechAnthony Davis, RB, WisconsinBraylon Edwards, WR, MichiganDavid Greene, QB, GeorgiaMatt Grotegoed, LB, USCTramain Hall, RB, North Carolina StateA.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio StateMatt Herian, TE, NebraskaDerrick Johnson, LB, TexasKevin Kolb, QB, HoustonChris Leak, QB, FloridaMatt Leinart, QB, USCJermelle Lewis, RB, IowaGeoff McArthur, WR, CaliforniaDonTrell Moore, RB, New MexicoLance Moore, WR, ToledoDan Orlovsky, QB, ConnecticutKyle Orton, QB, PurdueDavid Pollack, DE, GeorgiaWalter Reyes, RB, SyracuseChris Rix, QB, Florida StateAaron Rodgers, QB, CaliforniaAntrel Rolle, DB, Miami (Fla.)Brad Smith, QB, MissouriDarren Sproules, RB, Kansas StateJustin Vincent, RB, LSUAndrew Walter, QB, Arizona StateCorey Webster, DB, LSUJason White, QB, OklahomaCharlie Whitehurst, QB, ClemsonDeAngelo Williams, RB, MemphisCarnell Williams, RB, AuburnVincent Young, QB, Texas
