FORT WORTH, Texas - Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro and Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason were named to the 36-quarterback preseason watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award, as announced by the Davey O'Brien Foundation today. The award is presented annually to college football's top quarterback.
This is Navarro's third watch list honor this preseason, while Gleason has now garnered a pair of national award watch list selections.
Navarro made 13 starts during the 2024 campaign, tallying 2,423 passing yards on 295 passes with 195 completions. Also a force to be reckoned with on the ground, he rushed for 1,054 yards on 160 attempts with 18 touchdowns, becoming the second quarterback in program history to log over 1,000 yards on the ground in a single season as well as the first quarterback to record over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. A four-time 2024 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30, Nov. 15, Nov. 25, Dec. 2), Navarro also earned Davey O'Brien Great 8 recognition twice (Dec. 2 and Jan. 22), All-MAC Second Team Offense accolades and was named both the MAC Championship Offensive Player of the Game and 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl MVP honors.
Gleason threw for 2,808 yards and 24 TDs in 2024, leading the Rockets to an 8-5 record and a six-overtime victory over Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. He also rushed for 364 yards and seven scores.
The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and will contain active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, players honored as weekly Great 8 recipients through the season’s first eight weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.
The 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025 will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. For the fifth straight year, fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will earn players bonus selection committee votes during the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting rounds. First-round fan voting will begin Oct. 28 following the QB Class announcement.
The list of semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tuesday, Nov. 25). The 2025 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 11, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
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 49th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit
www.daveyobrienaward.com.
MACtion on Preseason Watch Lists
Maxwell Award
Al-Jay Henderson, Buffalo
Parker Navarro, Ohio
Tucker Gleason, Toledo
Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan
Bronko Nagurski
Red Murdock, Buffalo
Jim Thorpe Award
Tank Pearson, Ohio
DJ Walker, Ohio
Avery Smith, Toledo
Paul Hornung Award
Ty Harding, UMass
Trayvon Rudolph, Toledo
Victor Snow, Buffalo
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Keylen Davis, Akron
Kiael Kelly, Ball State
Drew Pyne, Bowling Green
Red Murdock, Buffalo
Michael Heldman, Central MIchigan
Jefferson Adam, Eastern Michigan
Mattheus Carroll, Kent State
Brock Taylor, UMass
Abiathar Curry, Northern Illinois
Matt Hofer, Toledo
Tyson Lee, Western Michigan
Lou Groza Award
Dom Dzioban, Miami
Ray Guy Award
John Henderson, Bowling Green
Walter Camp Player of the Year
Dequan Finn, Miami
Al-Jay Henderson, Buffalo
Parker Navarro, Ohio
Biletnikoff Award
Junior Vandeross III, Toledo
Davey O'Brien Award
Parker Navarro, Ohio
Tucker Gleason, Toledo
