The McNelly Award

Small in stature, staunch in spirit, stubborn and strong-willed, without a shred of fear, McNelly, tenacious and tireless to the end, intercepted and apprehended hundreds of Texas outlaws. McNelly’s Rangers were ruthless when necessary, causing incessant disruptions to the outlaw network. “They would stop at nothing in pursuit of justice.”

Similar to how Defensive Backs stop at nothing in pursuit of intercepting or deflecting the football. Staunch, stubborn, strong-willed, fearless, tenacious, and tireless to the end while causing incessant disruptions–sounds like an elite defensive back to me.

And the Award was born back in July.

Now, we are on the fourth day of November and the list of players to win the less than prestigious award is dwindling. Many have made appearances. Only one or two have been here from the beginning, but the most Leander McNelly like player’s list is down to these twelve for now.

McNelly Watchlist

• SS Nick Anderson- Wake Forest
  • 68 Tackles, 5 Tackles For Loss, 4 Pass Defended
• S Kamari Wilson- Memphis
  • 59 Tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4 PD, 2 Fumble Forced, 2 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery
• S KP Price- Boston College
  • 69 Tackles, 3 TFL, 2 INT, 1 FR
• S Louis Moore- Indiana
  • 56 Tackles, 5 INT, 2 TFL, 2 PD
    • Elite tracking on a deep ball pick this past weekend against Maryland.
• S Miles Scott- Illinois
  • 43 Tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PD
• CB Elijah Green- Tulsa
  • 42 Tackles, 6 PD, 5 INT, 1 TFL, 1 FR
• CB Brice Pollock- Texas Tech
  • 32 Tackles, 4 INT, 4 PD, 2.5 TFL, 1 FR
• CB Leonard Moore- Notre Dame
  • 20 Tackles, 3 INT, 3 PD, 1 FF
• DB Hezekiah Masses- CAL
  • 31 Tackles, 10 PD, 4 INT, 1 TFL
• CB Caleb Offord- Kennesaw St
  • 32 Tackles, 5 TFL, 10 PD, 4 INT, 1 TFL
• CB Boogie Trotter- Marshall
  • 40 Tackles, 5 INT, 2 for TD, 2 PD, 1 FR, 1 FF, 1 TFL
• S Bishop Fitzgerald- USC
  • 45 Tackles, 5 INT, 1 for TD, 2 TFL, 2 PD, 1 Sack

—

Defensive Backs all over the land have been relentless and ruthless while disrupting opposing offenses, but through my eyes, these twelve have looked the part of a McNelly at times and some have the numbers to add to the mix. It remains to be my favorite position. When it’s played well, it’s the best group to watch on the field.

If I had to name the three finalists today, I would choose:

• Louis Moore
• Fitzgerald
• Price

There is still time to impress, but the list will freeze at twelve after this weekend and I’ll narrow it down to three by November 18th and announce the winner the first week of December.

Good luck to all of these young men as they continue to lead their team and have a positive impact on the game.

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.