Davey O’Brien Selects Week 12’s Great 8

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 18, 2024) — The Davey O’Brien Foundation has announced the players named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 for Week 12. With five first-time honorees this week, 64 different quarterbacks have now been recognized this season.

The quarterbacks on this week’s list are Carson Beck of Georgia, New Mexico’s Devon Dampier, Ashton Daniels of Stanford, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, UTSA’s Owen McCown, LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina and Auburn’s Payton Thorne.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week, selected from the Great 8 list, will be revealed Tuesday at 11 a.m. (CT).

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. Over its time, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $1.3 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.

In 1938, O’Brien, who wore No. 8 as a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.

—www.DaveyOBrienAward.com—

Davey O’Brien Great 8: Week 12

Carson Beck, Georgia, Sr., 6-4, 220, Jacksonville, Fla.

• Completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball three times for 32 yards and a score in a 31-17 victory over No. 7 Tennessee.

Devon Dampier, New Mexico, So., 5-10, 198, Phoenix, Ariz.

• Rushed 28 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 174 yards and a TD as New Mexico upset No. 18 Washington State, 38-35.

Ashton Daniels, Stanford, Jr., 6-2, 215, Buford, Ga.

• Led Stanford for a 38-35 win over No. 19 Louisville by connecting on 22 of 33 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 34 rushing yards.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson, Jr., 6-2, 210, Austin, Texas

• Collected 329 yards of total offense (288 passing, 41 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a 24-20 victory over Pitt.

Sam Leavitt, Arizona State, R-Fr., 6-2, 200, West Linn, Ore.

• Steered the Sun Devils to a 24-14 victory at No. 16 Kansas State after throwing for 275 yards and three touchdowns (21-for-34) and rushing for 42 yards on five carries.

Owen McCown, UTSA, So., 6-1, 190, Rusk, Texas

• Set a school record with 467 total yards, collecting 379 passing and a career-high 88 rushing yards on 10 carries, and threw two TD passes in a 48-27 win over North Texas.

LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina, R-Fr., 6-3, 242, Florence, S.C.

• Was 21-for-30 passing for 353 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes and added 45 rushing yards (career-best 398 total yards) in a 34-30 triumph over No. 23 Missouri.

Payton Thorne, Auburn, Sr., 6-2, 203, Naperville, Ill.

• Was 22 of 32 passing for 286 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and tacked on 27 rushing yards on seven totes in a 48-14 win over UL Monroe.