University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Nick Mullens Placed on Walter Camp Watch List
7/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The 2016 watch list season ended with a bang for Southern Miss, as senior quarterback Nick Mullens was named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List on Friday morning.
The honor marks Mullens' fifth of the preseason. Mullens on Thursday received a spot on the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, given to the nation's best quarterback. Wednesday saw him earn recognition for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, each commemorating athletes for their off-the-field roles in the community. Mullens also joined Ito Smith on the Maxwell Award Watch List on July 5.
The Hoover, Ala., native is one of 40 "players to watch" for the honor, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
Mullens is the defending Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. He has tremendously improved each season, including a 38-touchdown campaign in 2015 that marked 13 more scoring passes than he had in the previous two seasons combined. His 4,476 yards through the air nearly doubled what he had in 2014 (2,470).
In his final three outings of Southern Miss' six-game winning streak at the end of the year, Mullens threw for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. The Golden Eagles averaged 59.7 points in that trio, winning two of those games on the road.
Mullens had 10 300-yard passing games as a junior, including tossing for a career-high 447 at Nebraska.
Southern Miss begins its season on Sept. 3, facing Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Preseason Watch List Honorees
Rimington Trophy (best center) - Cameron Tom
Maxwell Award (college player of the year) - Nick Mullens, Ito Smith
Ray Guy Award (best punter) - Tyler Sarrazin
Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) - Cameron Tom
Biletnikoff Award (best wide receiver) - D.J. Thompson
Wuerffel Trophy (exemplary community service with academic and athletic excellence) - Nick Mullens
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team ("good works" extending beyond the football field) - Nick Mullens
Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) - Nick Mullens
Walter Camp Player of the Year - Nick Mullens
