Tigers Football Insider: Players who are listed on national watchlists
University of Memphis long snapper Preston Brady (42) celebrates with kicker Joe Doyle (17) after a huge field goal during a Sept. 18, 2021 game at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee against Mississippi State University. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Welcome back to the Tigers Football Insider, where we bring you the latest news and analysis from The Daily Memphian’s Frank Bonner II, Geoff Calkins and John Martin each week.
The preseason watchlists for national awards are rolling out and three Tigers have made it on four different watchlists so far.
Defensive back Quindell Johnson has made it on the watchlists for the Bronko Nagurski trophy and the Jim Thorpe award. The Bronko Nagurski trophy is awarded to the best defensive player of the year. The Jim Thorpe award is given to the best defensive back in the country.
Johnson was voted to the All-AAC second team last season and will continue being one of the anchors of the defense this season. He finished last season with 104 tackles which ranked fourth in the conference and his 66 solo tackles were the second most in the league.
Punter Joe Doyle was included on the Ray Guy award watchlist given to the most outstanding punter in college football. Doyle handled double-duty responsibilities as the punter and kicker last season. The Tigers had their field-goal kicking issues but Doyle’s 46 yards per punt ranked second in the conference.
Offensive lineman Jacob Likes is on the Rimington Trophy watchlist for the most outstanding center in the country. Likes started in 11 games for the Tigers last season and will play a major role in helping the offensive line as it tries to stay healthy for the full year.
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Memphis Tigers Memphis Tigers Football Tigers Football InsiderFrank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
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