2014 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released

The John Mackey Award has released the 2014 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2014 John Mackey recipient will be announced on December 10, 2014 and then presented live on December 11, 2014 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU.

The list is well represented with tight ends from the SEC and ACC.

Florida State’s Nick O’Leary was one of three finalists for the 2013 Mackey Award and once again on the watch list for this upcoming season. The Palm Beach, Fla., native had 33 receptions for 557 yards and seven touchdowns during Florida State’s national championship season a year ago. He averaged 16.9 yards per catch – a mark that led all tight ends in the nation. He will enter his fourth year as a starter for the Seminoles having already set the FSU career record for touchdown catches by a tight end (11).

Mississippi State’s Malcolm Johnson was also named to the list. Johnson, a 2013 second team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the league’s coaches, enters his final campaign with 32 career games played and 11 starts. He has totaled 51 receptions for 768 yards and seven touchdowns during his three years with the Bulldogs.

South Carolina’s Rory Anderson, a 6-5, 227-pounder from Powder Springs, Ga., has played in 38 games over the past three seasons, making 13 starts. He has caught 39 passes for 694 yards, an average of 17.8 yards per catch, with eight touchdowns.

Other finalists include Gerald Christian (Louisville), Braxton Deaver (Duke), Hunter Henry (Arkansas), OJ Howard (Alabama) and Ben Koyack (Notre Dame).