FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — UTSA senior Solomon Wise has earned a spot on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list for his commitment to community service.
Wise is one of 114 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) on the watch list. That number is a record for the award since it first began releasing a watch list in 2015.
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 from the University of Florida, Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy exists to honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society and inspire greater service in the world.
"It is so inspiring to see this record number of athletes being submitted for the award," Wuerffel said. "These young men truly represent college football's most impactful community service leaders. We are proud to honor them."
A native of Coppell, Texas, Wise has been active in numerous community service projects during his time at UTSA. He has served on the UTSA Institute for P-20 Initiatives' Dream Runners panel, volunteered with the American Football Coaches Association and the Miracle League, visited local elementary schools as part of the Rowdy Readers program and participated in UTSA's For The Kids Dance Marathon to help raise funds for families of children diagnosed with pediatric cancer.
Wise has walked with his teammates in San Antonio's annual MLK March each of the last four years, marched in the Virginia Myers Elementary Fiesta Parade and represented UTSA Athletics in the 2019 Fiesta Texas Cavaliers River Parade. He has volunteered his time to help out the San Antonio Food Bank multiple times and been an active volunteer with UTSA's Day of Service, an annual event that provides university students the opportunity to help out with various projects around the city of San Antonio.
Additionally, Wise has been involved in numerous church food drives, volunteered at a free block party hosted by his brother, Deatrich Wise Jr., for the Boys & Girls Club and represented UTSA at the 2020 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Austin. A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he also has visited local hospitals and became close to a burn victim and his family.
On the field, Wise has appeared in 23 career contests since his debut season in 2016. He has recorded 12 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, a pass breakup and one blocked kick. As a redshirt junior in 2019, he had a sack for a seven-yard loss in the 26-16 win at UTEP. In 2018, he posted three stops, including a TFL, against Kansas State and blocked a kick versus North Texas.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 3 and finalists will be announced on Nov. 23.
The formal announcement of the 2020 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's festivities in New York City on December 8. The presentation of the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 52nd All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 19, 2021 in Fort Walton Beach.
Past recipients 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; Jon Wassink - Western Michigan - 2019.
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 www.ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
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