Mid-American Conference

Nine MAC Students Named To 2018 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List;
106 players get consideration for award honoring college football's top community servant
 
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - July 26, 2018 - The Wuerffel Trophy announced its Watch List today of 106 players from college football's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), while the MAC was represented with nine students on this year's list.  The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented annually at the All Sports Association’s Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach.  Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

The nine MAC students include:  senior quarterback Riley Neal (Ball State), senior defensive lineman Mitch Stanitzek (Central Michigan), senior offensive lineman Jeremy Hickey (Eastern Michigan), senior linebacker Matt Bahr (Kent State), senior wide receiver James Gardner (Miami), senior offensive lineman Max Scharping (NIU), senior wide receiver Cody Thompson (Toledo), senior running back Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan) and junior defensive back Justin Tranquill (Western Michigan). 

Neal, a native of Yorktown, Ind., appeared in only three games last season for Ball State due to injury.  In three starts in 2017, Neal was 67-99 passing for 659 yards and six touchdowns. 

Stanitzek, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., has appeared in 35 games at defensive end during his Chippewa career, recording 59 total tackles, 37 solo tackles. He has six sacks among 11 tackles-for-loss with two fumble recoveries and an interception. Stanitzek in May earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in marketing and logistics management. He finished his undergrad work with a 3.74 grade point average and is beginning work on his master’s in business administration this fall.

Hickey, a native of Troy, Mich., is a social studies and history double major and has graciously given his time to a wide range of community service projects throughout his Eastern Michigan career. The list of organizations and events he has served includes: Habitat for Humanity Build, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Friends in Deed, Special Olympics of Washtenaw County, 2nd-and-7 Reading Program, Victory Day, Brother's Rice Summer Camp, and Our Lady of the Fields Summer Camp. A 2017 Academic All-MAC selection, Hickey played in all 12 games for the Eagles last year, earning 10 starts at the guard position. He was part of a line that ranked second in the MAC and 28th nationally in the fewest sacks given up. The line also gelled down the stretch for the rushing attack, as Eastern Michigan racked up 815 yards on the ground and four 100-yard rushers during the final four games.

Bahr, a native of Kenton, Ohio, has volunteered for numerous local causes and spent eight days in Belize last summer in Kent State's collaboration with Courts for Kids.  Earlier this summer he was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.  Bahr also served as president of Kent State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a member of the MAC's Student-Athlete Executive Committee. This past March, Bahr was awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation. Expecting to complete his master's degree in December, Bahr has established himself as a leader on the field, in the classroom and in the community.  The former walk-on led Kent State in tackles after two games in 2017, before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. Bahr is a two-time MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete and earned the team's Leo Strang Award for the highest grade point average among upperclassmen.  At the conclusion of the spring season, he was one of two players presented with a single-digit jersey.

Gardner, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., led the RedHawks last year with 47 receptions for 927 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Gardner earned All-MAC First Team honors last season and ranked third in the MAC with 77.2 yards receiving per game. He had five 100-yard games last year, including an eight catch, 111 yard performance versus Marshall to open the season. Gardner had five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Austin Peay and added 117 yards and two scores at Notre Dame. His top performance of the season came against arch-rival Ohio in which he had 10 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Gardner has spent time at Kramer Elementary reading books to young children, while also volunteering his time at Highland Elementary and Avondale Elementary. Gardner has also volunteered at the Oxford Food Pantry to serve the less fortunate, while also helping with the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, Miami Move in Day and the Kiwanis Club.

Scharping, a native of Green Bay, Wis., is a three-year starter on the offensive line for NIU as Scharping moved from right to left tackle last season. He anchored a Huskie offensive line that led the FBS in fewest sacks allowed and he allowed just five total quarterback pressures on 425 pass blocking snaps in 2017 to rank among the best in the country. A FWAA Freshman All-American in 2015, Scharping also earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a junior.

Thompson, a native of Huron, Ohio, was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2016, catching 64 passes for a then school-record 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last season, he was averaging 126.3 yards per game and 18.7 yards per catch going into the Eastern Michigan game on Oct. 7 in which he suffered a season-ending injury. He was granted an injury hardship waiver by the NCAA, giving him another chance to complete his senior season. Thompson, who earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2016, graduated last December with a 3.7 GPA in marketing. He is currently pursuing his master's degree in recreation & leisure. He has volunteered for numerous community activities and organizations, including the Toledo Boys and Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, Cherry Street Mission, RockeThon for Mercy Children's Hospital, Kids Day at the Glass City Marathon, Rocket Football Victory Day, the Toledo Crash wheelchair football team, and many others.

Bogan, a native of Union, N.J., enters his final season at Western Michigan ranked eighth in school history with 2,563 career rushing yards and fourth with 27 career rushing touchdowns. Bogan has been Western Michigan's go-to running back in short yardage situations and last year had 589 yards and three touchdowns on 112 attempts before sustaining a season-ending injury in game 10 vs. Central Michigan. In 2015 he was named MAC Freshman of the Year after totaling 1,051 yards and 16 TDs. He was also named MVP of the Popeye's Bahamas Bowl in Western Michigan's 45-31 win over Middle Tennessee after running for a career-high 215 yards and four TDs. Bogan has been a leader on campus during his time at WMU. He has served on the Mid-American Conference's Student Athlete Advisory Committee and has been a mentor at the Tree of Life Elementary School and Loy Norrix High School. Bogan also served in the GED program at Goodwill and spearheaded a clothing drive for the Bahamas. He's a member of WMU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

Tranquill, a native of Huntertown, Ind., appeared in only three games last year due to injury with 13 tackles. Tranquill has also been heavily involved in the community and campus. He too has given his time at local missionaries and helped out with the GED program at Goodwill. Tranquill also has visited Bronson Children's Hospital and several elementary schools.

Five of the MAC students return to the Watch List from the 2017 season as well -- Matt Bahr (Kent State), James Gardner (Miami OH), Max Scharping (NIU), Cody Thompson (Toledo) and Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan).

Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities' Sports Information Department and will close on October 12.  A current list of nominees can be found at www.wuerffeltrophy.org beginning on August 1.  Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 1 and finalists will be announced on November 19. The formal announcement of the 2018 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's press conference in New York City on December 4. The presentation of the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 50th All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 15, 2019 in Fort Walton Beach. 
 
Past winners 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.
 
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.  The 24 awards boast more than 800 years of tradition-selection excellence.  Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.