The Sports Inquirer

Release from Georgia State Athletics:

Georgia State tight end Joel Ruiz was named Monday to the 2014 John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List. The John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.

Ruiz ranks second in the nation among all tight ends with 66.2 receiving yards per game and third in receptions with 4.8 per game.

The junior from Kingsland, Ga., and Camden County High School is Georgia State’s fourth-leading receiver with 24 catches in five games, and he ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in receiving yards.

Earlier this season, he was honored as the John Mackey Award National Tight End of the Week after catching seven passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Abilene Christian in his first game in a Georgia State uniform after transferring from Presbyterian.

Ruiz is the first Georgia State Panther to be recognized on a watch list for one of the major FBS awards.

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. Upcoming key dates include the announcement of the 2014 Mackey semifinalists on Nov. 17, 2014 and the 2014 Mackey finalists on Nov. 24, 2014.