Three Seniors Named Finalists for 2023 Davey O’Brien Award

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 28, 2023) – After tabulating the results of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee’s ballots as well as bonus ballots applied through the Davey O’Brien Fan Vote, the three finalists for the National Quarterback Award have been selected. This year’s finalists are LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.

All three are first-time finalists for the nation’s oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award. LSU (Joe Burrow, 2019) and Oregon (Marcus Mariota, 2014) have previous Davey O’Brien Award winners, while Washington is looking for its first-ever recipient.

On the year, Daniels is 236-for-327 (.722) for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. In addition, he has rushed 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. Daniels leads the nation in points responsible for (302), total offense (412.2), passing efficiency (208.0), total quarterback rating (95.6) and touchdown passes (40). He also ranks among the nation’s best in passing yards (3rd, 3,812) and completion percentage (7th, .722). The 13th-ranked Tigers finished the regular season with a 9-3 record.

Nix has completed 315 of 401 passes (.786) for 3,906 yards and 37 touchdowns against two interceptions. On the ground, he has 47 carries for 159 yards and six scores. Nix is the NCAA leader in passing yards (3,906) and completion percentage (.786). In addition, he ranks second nationally in points responsible for (262), total offense (338.8), passing efficiency (189.8), total quarterback rating (91.1) and touchdown passes (37). No. 5 Oregon (11-1) has earned a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Penix has connected on 280 of 427 passes (65.6) for 3,899 yards and 32 touchdowns versus eight interceptions. He also has scored three touchdowns on the ground. Penix ranks second in the nation in passing yards (3,899), fourth in passing touchdowns (32), fifth in total offense (323.8), seventh in points responsible for (212), 10th in total quarterback rating (82.8) and 11th in passing efficiency (163.3). No. 3 Washington owns a perfect 12-0 record and will play in Friday’s Pac-12 Championship game.

The final round of the Fan Vote on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) is now open. To participate, fans must like the original Davey O’Brien Award post highlighting their favorite quarterback. The Fan Vote will close Friday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. (CT).

National Selection Committee voting will open on Friday following the conclusion of the Pac-12 Championship and will close on Saturday night (Dec. 2) at 10 p.m. (ET). The National Quarterback Award winner will be announced live on Friday, Dec. 8, on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National 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 was 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.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 47th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

2023 Davey O’Brien Award Finalists

Jayden Daniels, LSU, Sr., 6-4, 210, San Bernardino, Calif.

Bo Nix, Oregon, Sr., 6-3, 214, Pinson, Ala.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington, Sr., 6-3, 213, Tampa, Fla.

2023 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Timeline

Finalists Announced (Tuesday, Nov. 28) 

Winner Round Fan Vote Open (Tuesday, Nov. 28-Friday, Dec. 1)

Winner Announced on Home Depot College Football Awards (Friday, Dec. 8)

47th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner (Monday, Feb. 19, 2024)

About the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The Davey O’Brien Award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O’Brien’s enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has awarded 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. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrienAward.com.

Previous Davey O’Brien Award winners include: Jim McMahon (BYU, 1981), Todd Blackledge (Penn State, 1982), Steve Young (BYU, 1983), Doug Flutie (Boston College, 1984), Chuck Long (Iowa, 1985), Vinny Testaverde (Miami, 1986), Don McPherson (Syracuse, 1987), Troy Aikman (UCLA, 1988), Andre Ware (Houston, 1989), Ty Detmer (BYU, 1990-91), Gino Torretta (Miami, 1992), Charlie Ward (Florida State, 1993), Kerry Collins (Penn State, 1994), Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1995-96), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Michael Bishop (Kansas State, 1998), Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech, 1999), Chris Weinke (Florida State, 2000), Eric Crouch (Nebraska, 2001), Brad Banks (Iowa, 2002), Jason White (Oklahoma, 2003-04), Vince Young (Texas, 2005), Troy Smith (Ohio State, 2006), Tim Tebow (Florida, 2007), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2008), Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), Cam Newton (Auburn, 2010), Robert Griffin III (Baylor, 2011), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M, 2012), Jameis Winston (Florida State, 2013), Marcus Mariota (Oregon, 2014), Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2015-16), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma, 2017), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, 2018), Joe Burrow (LSU, 2019), Mac Jones (Alabama, 2020), Bryce Young (Alabama, 2021) and Max Duggan (TCU, 2022).

About the NCFAA

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.