SUDFELD ONE OF THREE FINALISTS FOR WUERFFEL TROPHY
/IU Media Relations
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld is one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, it was announced Tuesday afternoon. The award is known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," which is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
The 2015 Wuerffel Trophy finalists, listed alphabetically by university, are:
Nate Sudfeld, Indiana University, senior, quarterback
Landon Foster, University of Kentucky, senior, punter
Ty Darlington, University of Oklahoma, senior, offensive line
"Once again, with so many amazing candidates it was a very difficult process to select even the semifinalists," said Danny Wuerffel. "But, I think the selection committee did an outstanding job in picking these three fine young men as finalists."
The Wuerffel Trophy, named after Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
A player speaker at the 2015 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, Sudfeld went on a week-long service trip to Uganda during 2015 spring break. He traveled there with his family to visit construction on an orphanage representing Assist International, the humanitarian group that his grandparents founded in 1990. Sudfeld has also volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club, the Andrew Luck/IU Health Change The Play Program and Read Across America.
The Modesto, Calif., native leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (283.4; 20th nationally), passing yards (2,834; 24th), total offense per game (286.2; 23rd), total offense (2,862; 27th), passing efficiency (149.1; 33rd) and yards per attempt (8.5; T-21st), is second in yards per completion (14.1; 15th), is third in touchdowns (20; T-28th), is tied for fourth in fewest interceptions (5) and is sixth in completion percentage (59.9).
Sudfeld, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, is first in passing touchdowns (54), 350-yard games (4) and four-touchdown games (4), tied for first in 400-yard games (1), 300-yard games (9) and 200-yard games (18), second in completion percentage (60.6) and three-touchdown games (8), third in passing yardage (7,140), completions (547) and 250-yard games (11), fourth in total offense (7,239) and fifth in attempts (903) on IU's career lists in 35 games (24 starts).
His five 300-yard games in 2015 are second, his 2,834 passing yards are fourth, his 20 touchdowns are fifth, and his 2,862 total yards are sixth on the program's single-season list.
Sudfeld is also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award®, was one of 15 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, a Maxwell Award Watch Lister, a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Award and a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients. The formal announcement of the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will be on Dec. 8, 2015, at the National Football Foundation's press conference in New York City.
The 2015 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will be interviewed at "The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show" on ESPNU and ESPN3 on Dec. 10, 2015, airing at 6 p.m. EST/5 p.m. CST, featuring interviews with award winners and finalists as they approach the new location for The Home Depot College Football Awards Show, the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The presentation of the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 47th Annual All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 12, 2016, in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the Wuerffel Trophy are: 2014 Deterrian Shackelford, University of Mississippi; 2013 Gabe Ikard, University of Oklahoma; 2012 Matt Barkley, University of Southern California; 2011 Barrett Jones, University of Alabama; 2010 Sam Acho, University of Texas; 2009 Tim Hiller, Western Michigan University; 2008 Tim Tebow, University of Florida; 2007 Paul Smith, University of Tulsa; 2006 Joel Penton, Ohio State University; and 2005 Rudy Niswanger, Louisiana State University.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. For more information, go to www.NCFAA.org. For more information on the Wuerffel Trophy, visit www.wuerffeltrophy.org.