Jordan Lynch
The latest college football preseason watch list is out and, once again, Huskie quarterback Jordan Lynch’s name is listed among the elite players in the country.
On Friday, Lynch was one of 50 players named as a “player to watch” for the 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year honor. The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding player.
The Walter Camp is the fourth preseason watch list on which Lynch’s name has appeared. In the past two weeks, he has been on the lists released by the Maxwell Award (college player of the year), the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (top quarterback).
The Chicago native is one of four Huskie players named to seven national watch lists so far this preseason. NIU wide receiver/returner Tommylee Lewis was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List along with Lynch, while safety Jimmie Ward earned a spot on the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) preseason list and kicker Mathew Sims is on the Lou Groza Award radar.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year committee will select 10 semi-finalists for its award in November, and the recipient will be voted on by the 125 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches and sports information directors and announced live Thursday, Dec. 12, on ESPN.
Lynch earned his preseason recognition after leading Northern Illinois to a school-record 12 wins in 2012 as he became the first FBS player to pass for more than 3,000 and rush for more than 1,500 yards in a single season.
A powerful runner who ranked fourth in the country in rushing with 12 100-yard games, an NCAA quarterback record 1,815 yards and 19 touchdowns, Lynch completed 61 percent (256-of-420) of his passes for 3,317 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Huskies defeated Kent State, 44-37, in double overtime, to win their second consecutive MAC crown, and became the first league team to earn a spot in a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game with their appearance in the Discover Orange Bowl.
He was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and won the Vern Smith Leadership Award presented to the league’s Most Valuable Player, as selected by MAC coaches and was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Lynch broke four NCAA records, set six Mid-American Conference marks and smashed 14 NIU records in 2012 in his first year as the Huskies’ starting quarterback.
Northern Illinois has launched a Heisman Trophy campaign for Lynch and more. Lynch finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting a year ago, based on a low-budget informational effort that began after he accounted for 410 yards of total offense and six touchdowns on 50 plays in a 48-34 win Oct. 27 over Western Michigan.
Season tickets for Northern Illinois’ 2013 home schedule, which begins Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Huskies take on Eastern Illinois in Huskie Stadium, are on sale now.
The new Huskieland Plan, which includes a ticket to all five home games (sections A and G) and $50 in Doggie Dollars good for parking and/or concessions, is just $50. All remaining season ticket locations for the 2013 Huskie Stadium home slate are just $100 while NIU Alumni Association members, senior citizens (62 and older), youth (ages 3 to 13), NIU Varsity Club (former letterwinners) members and faculty and staff can see every game for just $88.
For more information on NIU football and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
