Week 1 Davey O’Brien Great 8 Quarterbacks Named

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 5, 2023) — The Davey O’Brien Foundation has announced the eight quarterbacks named to the Great 8 list for their performances in week one of the college football season.

The quarterbacks on this week’s list are TJ Finley of Texas State, Fresno State’s Mikey Keene, Michael Penix Jr. of Washington, Tulane’s Michael Pratt, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, D.J. Uiagalelei of Oregon State and Washington State’s Cameron Ward. The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week, selected from the Great 8 list, will be announced Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CT).

Finley, Keene, Sanders, Uiagalelei and Ward are now officially added to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Midseason Watch List. With the five additions, that list now stands at 40 members.

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.DaveyOBrien.org—

Davey O’Brien Great 8 - Week 1

TJ Finley, Texas State, So., 6-7, 255, Ponchatoula, La.

• Led the Bobcats to an upset win at Baylor (42-31) in his Texas State debut by connecting on 22 of 30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns and adding 18 rushing yards and a score.

Mikey Keene, Fresno State, So., 5-11, 198, Chandler, Ariz.

• Completed 31 of 44 passes for a career-high 366 yards and four touchdowns as Fresno State picked up a 39-35 win at Purdue for its first road win over a Big Ten team since 2009.

Michael Penix Jr., Washington, Sr., 6-3, 215, Tampa, Fla.

• Became the first player in school history to toss five touchdown passes and throw for more than 400 yards (29-for-40, 450 yards) in a game as Washington defeated Boise State, 56-19.

Michael Pratt, Tulane, Jr. 6-3, 220, Boca Raton, Fla.

• Threw just one incompletion (14-for-15), passing for 294 yards and four touchdowns, and added 11 carries for 39 yards in a 37-17 victory over South Alabama.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, Jr., 6-2, 215, Dallas, Texas

• Set a Colorado single-game record for passing yards, going 38-for-47 for 510 yards and four touchdowns against no interceptions in a 45-42 upset win at No. 17 TCU.

Jordan Travis, Florida State, Sr., 6-1, 212, West Palm Beach, Fla.

• Steered Florida State to a 45-24 victory over No. 5 LSU by completing 23 of 31 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns and rushing seven times for 38 yards and a score.

D.J. Uiagalelei, Oregon State, Jr. 6-4, 252, Inland Empire, Calif.

• Starred in his Beaver debut by accounting for five touchdowns, including three passing and two rushing, and going 20-for-25 for 239 passing yards in a 42-17 triumph at San Jose State.

Cameron Ward, Washington State, Jr., 6-3, 223, West Columbia, Texas

• Amassed nearly 500 yards of offense (451 passing, 40 rushing) and had four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in a 50-24 win at Colorado State.