The 2024 Substack College Football Awards Season
The best players and coaches voted on by your favorite creators!
Hello everyone and welcome to the 2024 Substack College Football Awards Season!
There’s a ton of great content creators on Substack that are talking college football, so why not get everyone’s thoughts to see who college football Substack as a whole thinks are the best players in the nation?
If you want a full breakdown of who voted on these awards and what they bring to the table, head to the bottom of the post. Plus, you might just find some new content creators to subscribe to!
For all of these awards, voters were able to put their top three choices. Points were then awarded on a ranking basis, meaning the first place vote on a ballot netted a player three points, second place two points and third place one point. Then, the results were tabulated and added together with the highest point total taking the prize!
Voting Totals: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (33), Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (30), Cam Ward, QB, Miami (3), Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State (3), Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama (3), Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina (2), Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon (2), Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green (1)
It came down to the wire, with the last few votes separating Jeanty and Hunter making the difference. Jeanty appeared on all of our voters’ ballots, while Travis Hunter was left off one. Most of those votes came in the first- and second-place slots. Enough from me - let’s hear from the voters!
“Whilst Hunter is very impressive on both sides of the ball, I can’t look past the phenomenal output from Jeanty. He has carried Boise State to the Playoff and if he were to break Barry Sanders single season rushing record, that should seal it. “ - Alex Evans
“Jeanty has been all world all year. He’s averaging 7.3 yards per carry, that’s unreal.” - John Crimella
Voting Totals: Curt Cignetti, Indiana (30), Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State (11), Dan Lanning, Oregon (7), Rhett Lashlee, SMU (4), Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (4), Jeff Monken, Army (4), Kalani Sitake, Oregon (4), Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame (3), Billy Napier, Florida (3), Barry Odom, UNLV (2), Fran Brown, Syracuse (2), Mario Cristobal, Miami (2), Jon Sumrall, Tulane (1), Jim Mora, UConn (1)
The last voting run was close, but Coach of the Year was not. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti rolled past the competition after leading Indiana to its first ever 11-win season and a bid in the College Football Playoff.
“Cignetti is the obvious winner here. I won't bore you with an explanation.” - Alex Kirshner
“The schedule ended up being favorable, but winning 11 games at Indiana -- a program that had never won more than nine games before this season -- clinches it for me. All hail the swaggering Yinzer” - Craig Meyer
Voting Totals: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (42), Cam Ward, QB, Miami (12), Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State (8), Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State (4), Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona (4), Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green (4), Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (2), Bryson Daily, QB, Army (2), Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State (2), Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon (2), Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (1), Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse (1)
Jeanty didn’t stop at player of the year. It was a clean sweep for the Boise State tailback in the offensive player of the year voting, with him taking first place on all 14 voters’ ballots. Let’s just say 2,497 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns - both NCAA highs - was enough.
“From purely an offensive perspective, Jeanty has the workhorse stats to back up the gaudy overall numbers.” - Colin Cerniglia
“Jeanty gets the nod here because it's an offense-specific award.” - Neil Paine
Voting Totals: Abdul Carter, DE, Penn State (17), Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (17), Caleb Downs (11), Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina (8), Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall (4), Donovan Ezeiraku, DE, Boston College (3), Mello Dotson, CB, Kansas (3), James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee (3), Jahdae Barron, S, Texas (2), Josaiah Stewart, DE, Michigan (2), Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss (2), Antwaun Powell-Ryland, DL, Virginia Tech (2), Will Johnson, CB, Michigan (2), Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame (1), Alfred Collins, DL, Texas (1), Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke (1), Trey White, EDGE, San Diego State (1), Kyle Efford, LB, Georgia Tech (1), Nohl Williams, CB, California (1), Malaki Starks, S, Georgia (1)
Our only tie of the ballot has Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Colorado’s Travis Hunter sharing the Defensive Player fo the Year honors.
“Carter make the switch from linebacker to defensive end look easy, racking up ten sacks and 19.5 TFL. Tyler Warren is the talk of the town in Happy Valley, but Carter is a likely Top-5 pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Versatility and athleticism win here again for me.” - Colin Cerniglia
“Carter leads the nation in tackles for loss on one of the best defenses in the country.” - Neil Paine
“Travis Hunter showcased the ability to change the game on both sides of the ball. Frankly, I don't remember any player having a similar impact in my college football consciousness.” - Tyler Schuster
Voting Totals: Kenneth Almendares, K, Louisiana (20), Dominic Zvada, K, Michigan (14), Kam Shanks, Returner, UAB (6), Ricky White III, WR, UNLV (6), Ryan Fitzgerald, K, Florida State (5), Alex Mastromanno, P, Florida State (4), Keelan Marion, Returner, BYU (3), Alex Raynor, K, Kent State (3), Palmer Williams, P, Baylor (3), Drew Stevens, K, Iowa (2), Kaden Wetjen, PR, Iowa (2), Jacob Ulrich, P, Kansas State (2), Jeremy Cranshaw, P, Florida (2), Henry Rutledge, RB, Charlotte (2), Eddie Czaplicki, P, USC (1), Collin Rogers, K, SMU (1), Caden Chittenden, K, UNLV (1), Jesse Mirco, P, Vanderbilt
Kenenth Almendares is your special teams player of the year after a steller season kicking in Lafayette for Louisiana. I’ll let Colin run down the reason for Almendares’ win here:
“Almendares missed only two field goals (both 50 yards +) on the season and one XP for an overall PCT of 97.9.” - Colin Cerniglia
Voting Totals: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (32), Bryson Daily, QB, Army (16), Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green (11), Nick Nash, WR San Jose State (7), John Mateer, QB, Washington State (4), Mario Anderson Jr., RB, Memphis (2), Devon Dampier, QB, New Mexico (2), Tre Stewart, RB, Jacksonville State (2), Mike Green, DL, Marshall (2), Kenneth Almendares, K, Louisiana (1), Seth Henigan, QB, Memhpis (1), Darian Mensah, QB, Tulane (1), Chandler Morrism QB, North Texas (1), Jordan Oladokun, CB, Bowling Green (1)
The Group of Five has some electric players this year, but it was unfair to have Jeanty come out of the Mountain West. He didn’t grab all of the first-place votes for “Hipster G5 Player of the Year" - Bryson Daily got two, while Harold Fannin Jr. and John Mateer each grabbed one.
“Jeanty's performance is something we haven't seen in a generation, since Barry Sanders. That speaks enough to me.” - Brian Lennon
“Not much of a hipster pick, but Jeanty's the clear best G5 player” - Craig Meyer
Voting Totals: Cam Ward (30), Dillon Gabriel (21), Shedeur Sanders (16), Kurtis Rourke (6), Jalen Milroe (3), Jaxson Dart (2)
Getting into positional awards, Cam Ward survived a late push from Dillon Gabriel to claim the crown of best signal caller in the nation. The senior quarterback torched opposing defenses with 4,123 total passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also paced the nation with an 88.0 QBR.
“Ward was, statistically, the best QB in the country this year by PAR (https://neilpaine.substack.com/i/148407375/college-football-qb-rankings).” - Neil Paine
“Ward threw for the second-most yards in the country, leading the No. 1 overall team in total offense.” - Colin Cerniglia
“The fact Miami pulled off a high-wire act so much of the year, winning so many close games and staging so many comebacks, is a testament to Ward, who nearly overcame a porous defense and Mario Cristobal being his coach to lead the Canes to the playoff.” - Craig Meyer
Voting Totals: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (41), Kaleb Johnson, Iowa (12), Cam Skattebo, Arizona State (11), R.J. Harvey, UCF (7), Dylan Sampson, Tennessee (5), Omarion Hampton, North Carolina (3), Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech (1), Bryson Daily, Army (1), Kalel Mullings, Michigan (1)
Jeanty ran away with his positional award, claiming first place in all of our voters’ ballots. It couldn’t be any other way, could it?
“If you're flirting with breaking Barry Sanders' single-season record and doing so while averaging more than seven yards per carry, this award belongs to you” - Craig Meyer
Voting Totals: Travis Hunter, Colorado (28), Nick Nash, San Jose State (24), Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (18), Xavier Restrepo, Miami (7), Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (3), Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green (1), Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (1), Luther Burden III, Missouri (1)
Hunter picks up his first full award of the season as the nation’s top wide receiver. The junior was Shedeur Sanders’ top target, hauling in 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“Amazing to think about the numbers (yards and TDs) that Hunter put up while also playing defense.” - Brian Lennon
“Looked at scores, yards, and catches. Like, were you reliable and explosive? Hunter was that.” - Adam Martinez
Voting Totals: Tyler Warren, Penn State (32), Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green (29), Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse (5), Tanner Koziol (3), Brant Kuithe, Utah (2), Mason Taylor, LSU (2), Colston Loveland, Michigan (2), Holden Willis, Middle Tennessee (1), Kaleo Ballungay, UNLV (1), Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (1)
The race between Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr. was one for the ages. If Fannin didn’t miss portions of his two final games, would this result have been different? Either way, both were the clear top two at their position.
“Versatility in today's game is super impressive…Warren is my other versatility (and homer) pick…Fannin Jr. isn't as versatile as Tyler Warren, but as a pure pass catcher, his numbers show he's one of the best.” - Colin Cerniglia
“It's Tyler Warren. Period.” - Brian Lennon
“It's a tough call between Warren and Fannin, but I give the edge to Warren, who did it against tougher competition and has the impressive rushing yardage total.” - Craig Meyer
Voting Totals: Kelvin Banks Jr., T, Texas (26), Will Campbell, T, LSU (10), Paolo Gennarelli, G, Army (4), Jake Slaughter, C, Flordia (3), Josh Conerly Jr., T, Oregon (3), Wyatt Milum, T, West Virginia (3), Campbell Barrington, T/G, Baylor (2), Jordan Seaton, T, Colorado (2), Brady Small, C, Army (2), Seth McLaughlin, G, Ohio State (2), Jonah Savaiinaea, T, Arizona (2), Dalton Cooper, T, Oklahoma State (1), Spencer Fano, T, Utah (1), Caleb Etienne, T, BYU (1), Rocco Spindler, G, Notre Dame (1), Addison West, G, Western Michigan (1), Aireontae Ersery, T, Minnesota (1), Ajani Cornelius, T, Oregon (1), Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State (1)
The offensive line category, as you can see above, was a very spread out race. Well, except for Kelvin Banks Jr.
Banks anchored the Joe Moore award semifinalist offensive line for Texas at left tackle. That line has kept clean pockets and clean running lanes for plenty of award finalists, such as Quinn Ewers, Bijan Robinson and more. This year was no different, with Banks taking home the Lombardi award and only allowing one sack and six pressures in 13 games this season.
Voting Totals: Abdul Carter, Penn State (22), Mason Graham, Michigan (13), Kyle Kennard, South Carolina (11), Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College (10), Mike Green, Marshall (6), Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss (3), Trey White, San Diego State (3), Antwuan Powell, Virginia Tech (2), Deone Walker, Kentucky (2), Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon (2), Walter Nolen, Ole Miss (1), James Pearce Jr., Tennessee (1), Alfred Collins, Texas (1), Mykel Williams, Georgia (1)
You could probably guess this from his Co-Defensive Player of the Year award, but Abdul Carter takes home the best defensive lineman award. In his first year as an edge rusher, Carter poted 10 sacks and forced two fumbles for a disruptive Nittany Lion front seven.
“If Carter's going to win DPOY, then he has to win his positional award, too.” - Colin Cerniglia
“Is Carter a DL? Or an edge? Not sure. Probably too small to play DL at the next level, but when the No. 1 team in the country targets you, you must be pretty good.” - Brian Lennon
Voting Totals: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma (11), Shaun Dolac, Buffalo (9), Deontae Lawson, Alabama (7), Jalon Walker, Georgia (7), Harold Perkins Jr., LSU (6), Jimmori Robinson, UTSA (4), Jay Higgins, Iowa (4), Sunnie Perkins, Ole Miss (3), Abdul Carter, Penn State (3),Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss (2), Austin Romaine, Kansas State (2), Red Murdock, Buffalo (2), Chandler Martin, Memphis (1), Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (1), Isaiah Glasker, BYU (1), Carson Schwesinger, UCLA (1), Smael Mondon, Georgia (1), Josaiah Stewart, Michigan (1)
The linebacker race was among the tightest we had, with Stutsman only taking the crown by two points. The senior had one of his best seasons yet, posting 110 total tackles and notching a sack. Don’t think it’s all run support, though, as Stutsman can make an impact in pass coverage as well.
“Stutsman reminds me of my favorite college linebacker growing up - Brian Bosworth. Even the neck roll. - Brian Lennon
Voting Totals: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado (21), Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (19), Jahdae Barron, S, Texas (10), Will Johnson, CB, Michigan (7), Malaki Starks, S, Georgia (5), Nohl Williams, CB, California (4), Mello Dotson, CB, Kansas (3), Jalon Catalon, S, UNLV (2), Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas (2), Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame (2), Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke (1), Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State (1), Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA (1)
Hunter picks up his third award of the season, taking home Defensive Back of the Year. While playing both ways, Hunter still found a way to pick up some serious stats on the defensive side of the ball, posting 31 total tackles. In pass coverage, Hunter was the Buffaloes’ top defensive back, defending 11 passes and snagging four interceptions, one he returned for a score. I think Brian Lennon summed it up perfectly:
“It's Travis Hunter's world, and everyone else is allowed to live in it.“ - Brian Lennon
The Voters:
Griffin Olah, SID Sports - Griffin is a former SID that specializes in the national coverage of college football and some of the behind the scenes business happenings of college sports. From rankings, to Games of the Slot, to the UEC Dynasty where you get a look inside how an SID covers their team, SID Sports has you covered.
Tyler Schuster, Three-Point Stance - Tyler, a card-carrying member of the hating community, is a former football player himself and a huge fan of the sport. Be sure to follow Tyler for some comedic takes on what’s going on across the sport, as well as gambling and watching insights.
Alex Kirshner, Split Zone Duo - One third of the SZD team, Alex is a Los Angeles-based writer whose portfolio includes work in Slate, The Atlantic, GQ, FiveThirtyEight, The Guardian, Men’s Journal, The Ringer, VICE, Baseball Prospectus, and more. His work covers the sprawling landscape of college football, business, and much more.
Neil Paine, Neil’s Substack - Neil is a great writer with a focus on statistics, data and analysis across the entire sports world. Neil is a former FiveThiryEight editor and occasionally writes for the likes of ESPN, NASCAR, and the Philadelphia Enquirer. One of the best benefits of reading Neil’s work is getting new stats to toss into arguments about which player or team is better.
Colin Cerniglia, Colin Cerniglia - Colin is a positive, fun-loving Penn State homer that loves to write about his Nittany Lions. You can also catch Colin writing about baseball for Yardbarker and Kings of Kauffman and keep an eye out for his upcoming rock ‘n’ roll novel, Papilo.
Conor McQuiston, The Evaluation Period - Conor is a self-described Next Gen Stats Seasonal Analyst that uses data to evaluate college recruiting, college football as a whole, and delves into the NFL. His weekly Power Four Recruiting roundups are hidden gems of the Substack community.
Adam Martinez, Mean Green Nation - Adam is the one man wrecking crew behind Mean Green Nation, Substack’s only North Texas dedicated publication. If you’re a Mean Green fan, Adam is a must-follow as he breaks down anything interesting relating to UNT athletics from an alumni’s perspective.
Brian Shaw, Brian Vs. Utah - If you’re a fan of Utah sports, Brian is your guy. Whether you prefer a podcast or written work, Brian Vs. Utah is going to keep up on everything Utah sports, from Utes and Cougars football all the way to the Jazz and new Utah Hockey Club. Brian is also the author of Amazon bestseller SPORTZZ FRUM HOME, a collection of tales from big-time Utah athletes.
Brian Lennon, Tailgators Setup - Brian is one third of the Tailgators Setup podcast and the host of the show. A Penn State fan through and through, Brian will discuss and breakdown what you can expect to see from the top teams in their next game. You’ll only notice the tiniest pro-Penn State bias, I promise.
Ryan Nanni, Assigned and Who Killed College Football? - Ryan has his fingerprints all over some of the best college football content there is, from his outstanding Who Killed College Football? series on Substack, to being managing editor at Secret Base on YouTube and co host of Shutdown Fullcast. Chances are you’ve come across some of Ryan’s work as some point and enjoyed it. Doesn’t he deserve a subscription or follow for that?
Craig Meyer, The Front Porch - Craig, a writer for USA Today and previously with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a decade, will bring you inside the Front Porch of universities - their athletic departments. He’s been awarded previously by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Pennsylvania News Media Association, the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation. In 2022, he won Pennsylvania Sports Reporter of the Year for his work with Pittsburgh University’s basketball teams.
Gary McDaniel, Tailgators Setup - Gary is the producer for Tailgators Setup and The Brian Lennon Show. A Penn State fan, Gary is always ready to defend his Nittany Lions. Plus, he’ll serve you up some thematic drink recipies for your tailgate each week.
John Crimella, Tailgators Setup - The resident college football expert of Tailgators Setup, John is the guy in the know for listeners. A huge Florida fan, John’s SEC affinity balances well with Gary and Brian’s Big Ten fandom and makes sure the show covers all angles.
Alex Evans, Gridiron NFL - Alex is new to Substack and is the editor of Gridiron NFL magazine. Let’s all welcome Alex to Substack and let him know we want the magazine to join us here!
This was great! So interesting to see how our voting matched what actually happened. And I’m immensely happy Abdul Carter got more love here than he did IRL. Thanks for letting me be a small part of this!