Tide's Wilson Candidate For Top QB Honor

Alabama senior quarterback John Parker Wilson was among 31 quarterbacks selected to the 2008 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List released on Friday by the Davey O’Brien Foundation and its national selection committee.

John Parker Wilson enters his senior season at Alabama in 2008 after throwing for 2,846 yards (218.9 per game) last season with 18 touchdowns. He has a school-record 16 200-yard passing games and is among the Crimson Tide’s career leaders in pass attempts (852), completions (478), passing yardage (5,651) and touchdown passes (37).

Watch List candidates were selected by a subset of the National Selection Committee and approved by the Davey O'Brien Executive Committee. Semifinalists will be announced October 27; finalists November 24. This prestigious award focuses on accomplishments both on and off the field.

The Selection Committee is asked to evaluate all candidates on their quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship.

Wilson is also a candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top quarterback.

Wilson is one of three Southeastern Conference quarterbacks on the Watch List, joined by Georgia’s Matthew Stafford and Florida’s Tim Tebow. Also on the list is Clemson’s Cullen Harper, who the Crimson Tide will see in their season opener at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. CDT

The 2008 winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN December 11. The recipient will be honored Feb. 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation had given away over $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.