NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 17, 2018 - Across America, many college football players receive praise for their superior performance on the field. Today, however, only a select group of those student-athletes have the honor of being commended for their distinguished accomplishments off the field when Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announce 169 nominees for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.

'Each nominee has an inspiring story to tell - often times about how they have prevailed over hardships and adversity only to turn around and pour their hearts into helping others,' said David Prendergast, president of the Eastern Territory at Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2018 voting panel. 'It is our privilege at Allstate to come together with the AFCA for the 11th consecutive year to shine a light on these exceptional nominees who set the highest standards of community service and serve as role models for generations to come.'

The college football players who have been nominated make it a priority to find time in their busy schedules to volunteer in meaningful ways. Of the nominees, many players dedicate time to reading, mentoring and playing sports with disadvantaged children when they are not in the classroom or on the field. Other players make frequent visits to hospitals to spend one-on-one time with ill patients. One student-athlete even went as far as donating bone marrow in order to save the life of a child in need.

A special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will review submissions from sports directors across the nation to select the 2018 Good Works Team®. Tim Tebow, two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® member, will once again headline the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel.

'I've seen the value of this team firsthand since I was selected as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team my senior year, and I love seeing the influx of players year after year who truly embody everything this program stands for,' said Tebow. 'These kids have so much character, strength, and honor. To excel on the field, in the classroom and be a leader in community service - that is the ultimate accomplishment.'

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® is comprised of 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA and one honorary head coach. To be in consideration by Allstate and the AFCA for a nomination, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.

The final roster of 22 award recipients and honorary head coach will be unveiled in September.

'There are always a lot of great stories that come out every year during the college football season, but none of them compare to the inspiring stories that each of these Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominees live out on a daily basis,' Todd Berry, AFCA Executive Director said. 'How these student-athletes spend their time helping others should be a motivation to everyone who reads about them to give back. It's an honor to partner with Allstate to publicize the great works these student-athletes achieve each year.'

In addition to Tebow and Prendergast, the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® selection panel members includes: former Good Works Team® members Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team) and Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee State, 1999 team); media members Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star) and Paul Myerberg (USA TODAY); Georgetown College head coach Bill Cronin; 2001 AFCA President and current athletic director at Virginia Union University Joe Taylor.

After the final team members are announced in September, college football fans can visit the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® official page on ESPN.com to view profiles and images of the players and honorary head coach, and vote for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain. Fans are also encouraged to follow along and join in on the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their social media channels throughout the season.

The following players have been nominated for consideration to be named to the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®:

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)

  • Arizona State University - Manny Wilkins
  • Auburn University - Derrick Brown
  • Boston College - Michael Walker
  • Brigham Young University - Tanner Mangum
  • Clemson University - Sean Pollard
  • Colorado State University - Adam Prentice
  • Duke University - Johnathan Lloyd
  • East Carolina University - Alex Turner
  • Eastern Michigan University - Jeremy Hickey
  • Florida State University - Fredrick Jones
  • Indiana University - Ricky Brookins
  • Iowa State University - D'Andre Payne
  • Kansas State University - Dalton Risner
  • Kent State University - Matt Bahr
  • Louisiana State University - Blake Ferguson
  • Marshall University - Chase Hancock
  • Miami University - James Gardner
  • Michigan State University - Khari Willis
  • Middle Tennessee State University - Matt Bonadies
  • Mississippi State University - Nick Fitzgerald
  • Northern Illinois University - Max Scharping
  • Old Dominion University - Oshane Ximines
  • Penn State University - Nick Scott
  • Purdue University - David Blough
  • Rutgers University - Zack Heeman
  • Southern Methodist University - Jordan Wyatt
  • Syracuse University - Kielan Whitner
  • TCU - Ben Banogu
  • Texas A&M University - Erik McCoy
  • Texas State University - A.J. Krawczyk
  • Tulane University - Brian Newman
  • UCF - Jordan Johnson
  • UNC-Charlotte - Juwan Foggie
  • United States Air Force Academy - Brody Bagnall
  • University of Akron - Brian Reinke
  • University of Alabama - Jamey Mosley
  • University of Arkansas - Hjalte Froholdt
  • University of California, Berkeley - Patrick Laird
  • University of Cincinnati - Garrett Campbell
  • University of Florida - Fred Johnson
  • University of Georgia - Rodrigo Blankenship
  • University of Hawaii - Dakota Torres
  • University of Illinois - Nick Allegretti
  • University of Iowa - Parker Hesse
  • University of Kansas - Joe Dineen
  • University of Kentucky - C.J. Conrad
  • University of Louisville - Dae Williams
  • University of Michigan - Chase Winovich
  • University of Minnesota - Emmit Carpenter
  • University of Missouri - Corey Fatony
  • University of Nebraska - Freedom Akinmoladun
  • University of Nevada - Ty Gangi
  • University of Notre Dame - Nic Weishar
  • University of Oklahoma - Caleb Kelly
  • University of Pittsburgh - Darrin Hall
  • University of South Alabama - Sean Grayer
  • University of Southern California - Jordan Austin
  • University of Southern Mississippi - Picasso Nelson Jr.
  • University of Tennessee - Kyle Phillips
  • University of Texas - Chase Moore
  • University of Texas at San Antonio - Jalen Rhodes
  • University of Toledo - Cody Thompson
  • University of Tulsa - Willie Wright
  • University of Utah - Chase Hansen
  • University of Virginia - Lester Coleman
  • University of Wisconsin - D'Cota Dixon
  • Utah State University - Jacoby Wildman
  • Vanderbilt University - Khari Blasingam
  • West Virginia University - Will Grier
  • Western Michigan University - Jamauri Bogan

Combined Divisions (FCS, II, III & NAIA)

  • Alabama State University - Carl Thompson
  • Alma College - Hunter Hoffman
  • Angelo State University - Connor Flanigan
  • Arkansas Tech University - Tremel Glasper
  • Ashland University - Travis Downing
  • Aurora University - Kurtis Chione
  • Bemidji State University - Jared Henning
  • Berry College - Justen Booket
  • Bethel University (Minn.) - Kyle Kilgore
  • Black Hills State University - Zane Lindsey
  • Butler University - Drew Bevelhimer
  • Capital University - Cory Heeter
  • Carthage College - Jeremy Behnke
  • Chapman University - Elias Deeb
  • Colorado State University-Pueblo - Quinn Vandekoppel
  • Concord University - Brandon Plyler
  • Concordia University, Nebraska - Vince Beasley
  • Dakota State University - Brandon Schmit
  • DePauw University - Hunter Sego
  • Drake University - Nathan Clayberg
  • East Stroudsburg University - Levi Murphy
  • Eastern Kentucky University - LJ Scott
  • Eastern New Mexico University - Wyatt Strand
  • Eastern Washington University - Sam McPherson
  • Ferris State University - Travis Russell
  • Franklin and Marshall College - Tanner Erisman
  • Frostburg State University - Riley Hartman
  • Furman University - Avery Armstrong
  • Guilford College - Jeremiah Hedrick
  • Harvard University - Jake McIntyre
  • Hope College - Mason Dekker
  • Howard University - John Petricca
  • Illinois State University - Jake Kolbe
  • Jacksonville University - Jake Dempsey
  • James Madison University - Grant Westbrook
  • Johns Hopkins University - Luke McFadden
  • Kennesaw State University - Nicolas Snowden
  • Lewis & Clark College - Pete Lahti
  • Lindenwood University - Jonathan Harris
  • Macalester College - Ethan Levin
  • Manchester University - Brady Nyland
  • Marist College - Kyle Hamrick
  • Mercer University - Isaiah Buehler
  • Millikin University - Matthew Brown
  • Millsaps College - Andrew Cassidy
  • Minot State University - Parker Franzen
  • Monmouth University - Ryan Wetzel
  • Montana State University - Wilson Brott
  • Montana Tech - Clay Dean
  • Moravian College - Nick Zambelli
  • Morgan State University - Deontaye White
  • Morningside College - Trent Solsma
  • North Carolina Central University - Nick Leverett
  • North Dakota State University - Easton Stick
  • Northern State University - Zach Mohs
  • Ohio Dominican University - Cory Contini
  • Ohio Wesleyan University - Cameron Smith
  • Peru State College - Daniel Boshart
  • Princeton University - Kurt Holuba
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Sean Egan
  • Rowan University - Kevin Stokes
  • Saint Augustine's University - Zack Jenkins
  • Saint John's University (Minn.) - Jackson Erdmann
  • Samford University - Kevin Marion
  • South Dakota School of Mines - Jake Sullivan
  • South Dakota State University - Taryn Christion
  • Southeastern Oklahoma State University - Joel Carlos
  • Southwest Minnesota State University - Jon Dicke
  • Springfield College - Andrew Papirio
  • Stephen F. Austin State University - Cody Williams
  • Stevenson University - Dan Williams
  • Stony Brook University - Marc Nolan
  • Texas A&M University-Commerce - Chris Smith
  • Texas A&M University-Kingsville - Sean Landez
  • The College of Wooster - Hunter Coia
  • University of California, Davis - Kooper Richardson
  • University of Central Missouri - Austin Miller
  • University of Dubuque - Collin Stefanowski
  • University of Minnesota-Crookston - Will Cross
  • University of Minnesota-Duluth - Trapper Ward
  • University of Mount Union - Jared Ruth
  • University of North Dakota - Brady Oliveira
  • University of Pennsylvania - Sam Philippi
  • University of Puget Sound - Dwight Jackson
  • University of Sioux Falls - Logan Dykstra
  • University of St. Thomas - Jacques Perra
  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Alex Trotter
  • University of Wisconsin-Platteville - Mark Johnson
  • University of Wisconsin-Whitewater - Elliot Kim
  • Upper Iowa University - Tanner Thompson
  • Utica College - Malcolm Stowe
  • Virginia State University - Shakym Peters
  • Walsh University - Morgan Trust
  • Wartburg College - Matt Sacia
  • Washington University in St. Louis - Jason Singer
  • Wayne State University - Deiontae Nicholas
  • Westminster College (Pa.) - Bryson Paulinellie
  • Wingate University - Adam Riley
  • Youngstown State University - Tevin McCaster

About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® was established in 1992 by the College Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.

The SEC leads all conferences with 71 selections to the Good Works Team since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 37 selections and the Big 12 Conference with 30 selections. Georgia is in first place with 18 honorees to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. ® The Bulldogs are followed by Kentucky and Nebraska with 14 honorees. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Good Works Teams®, respectively.

About AFCA

The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to 'maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession' and to 'provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.'

# # #

Attachments

  • Original document
  • Permalink

Disclaimer

The Allstate Corporation published this content on 17 July 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 17 July 2018 15:11:02 UTC