DALLAS — UTSA outside linebacker Camron Cooper has been named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
Cooper is one of 20 FBS student-athletes chosen for the list of the nation’s top leaders in college football compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee. The semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
The full list of semifinalists includes Michael Allen (Baylor), Arion Carter (Tennessee), Matt Craycraft (Duke), Camron Cooper (UTSA), Steven Demboski (Delaware), Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami), Bray Hubbard (Alabama), Mason Heintschel (Pittsburgh), Hero Kanu (Texas), Lawson Luckie (Georgia), Jordan Marshall (Michigan), Maddux Madsen (Boise State), Leonard Moore (Notre Dame), Colton Phares (Appalachian State), Willie Rodriguez (Kentucky), Duce Robinson (Florida State), Isaiah Shirley (NC State), Jordan Shipp (North Carolina), David Stone (Oklahoma) and Davis Warren (Stanford).
Three finalists will be named for the award on Tuesday, Dec. 15. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on March 11, 2027, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Cooper was voted by his teammates prior to this season to wear the No. 1 jersey as one of the players who best represents UTSA’s 210 Triangle of Toughness culture. After suffering a season-ending injury in the 2025 season opener, he has returned to start the first seven games in 2026. He has registered 18 total tackles, 10 solo stops, five tackles for loss, one sack, one quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery as one of the leaders on the defense.
Off the field, Cooper is active in several community service projects. He mentors students through UTSA’s Rowdy Readers program, regularly visits patients at Christus Children’s Hospital and supports the San Antonio Food Bank. He has also volunteered with youth sports and food assistance programs while remaining active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is a two-time American Conference All-Academic Team selection and a nominee for the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
“I’m very honored to announce the semifinalists for the Collegiate Man of the Year,” said Witten. “These twenty young men are prime examples of what makes college football so great. They have separated themselves not just by their play on the field, but how they have been leaders in the locker room, in their communities and in their own families. They are great representatives for their schools and the game of football, and I commend all nominees for getting to this point.”
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 19 years. The foundation operates its nationally recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.
-UTSA-
Follow UTSA Football on X, Instagram and Facebook.