• About UANews
• Sign up for News
• Resources for Media
• Calendar
• Contact Us

Arizona senior quarterback Willie Tuitama is among the preseason candidates for the 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.

By University Communications
July 25, 2008

Arizona Wildcats senior quarterback Willie Tuitama is among preseason candidates for the 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, which recognizes the nation's best quarterback for the 2008 football season.

The watch list for 31 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) quarterbacks was released last week by the Davey O'Brien Foundation and its national selection committee.

In addition to the Watch List, all Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks are equal candidates for the O'Brien until semifinalists are selected. Watch List candidates were selected by a subset of the national selection committee and approved by the Davey O'Brien executive committee.

Semifinalists will be announced Oct. 27 and finalists will be announced Nov. 24.

This prestigious award focuses on accomplishments on and off the field. The selection committee is asked to evaluate all candidates on their quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship.

Tuitama, who threw for a school-record 3,668 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2007, also has been named to the Maxwell Award list, along with senior receiver Mike Thomas.

The 2008 O'Brien winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN on Dec. 11. The recipient will be honored Feb. 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual O'Brien Awards Dinner in Fort Worth, Texas.

The award is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is based in Fort Worth.

The Foundation had given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.