FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- UTSA senior Andrew Martel has been named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented by Chick-fil-A Foundation, the award committee announced Thursday.
Martel is one of 91 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) named to the list. A product of Richmond Foster High School in the Greater Houston Area, he enters his final season as a Roadrunner with 78 career tackles, including 50 solo stops, five tackles for loss and three sacks. He also has recovered four fumbles and picked off a pass in 35 career games.
As a junior in 2018, Martel registered 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and two fumble recoveries. He tallied a career-best 14 tackles against Southern Miss and had five stops against both Baylor and North Texas.
Off the field, Martel is heavily involved in community service. He has volunteered his time with UTSA's Rowdy Readers program, where he visits local elementary schools to read to children and to speak about his experience as a student-athlete and doing well in school. He also has helped with the annual UTSA Day of Service and the For The Kids Dance Marathon each spring.
A four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll, Martel earned his bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies in May and currently is working toward his master's degree in business.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
A current list of nominees can be found at wuerffeltrophy.org. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 5 and finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 18.
The formal announcement of the 2019 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's festivities in New York City on Dec. 10. The presentation of the 2019 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 51stAll Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 14, 2020, in Fort Walton Beach.
Past winners of the award are: Rudy Niswanger - LSU - 2005; Joel Penton - Ohio State - 2006; Paul Smith - Tulsa - 2008; Tim Tebow - Florida - 2008; Tim Hiller - Western Michigan - 2009; Sam Acho - Texas - 2010; Barrett Jones - Alabama - 2011; Matt Barkley - USC - 2012; Gabe Ikard - Oklahoma - 2013; Deterrian Shackelford - Ole Miss - 2014; Ty Darlington - Oklahoma - 2015; Trevor Knight - Texas A&M - 2016; Courtney Love - Kentucky – 2017; Drue Tranquill – Notre Dame – 2018.
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast more than 800 recipients, dating back to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
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