Toledo’s Logan Woodside named to O’Brien and Unitas Award watch lists

Follow the Mid-American Conference long enough and you’re going to get more than your fair share of some household names at QB. Names like Pennington, Roethlisberger, and Leftwich are the go to names for those that want to trumpet the QB play in the MAC, but with some luck and some success this season, Toledo Rockets quarterback Logan Woodside may be adding his name to that list.

He is the most recent addition to both the Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch lists for the 2017 season.

Per Toledo’s release...

Toledo senior quarterback Logan Woodside (Frankfort, Ky.) was named to the official Watch List for the 2017 Davey O'Brien Award today. He is the only quarterback from the Mid-American Conference to make the watch list. Woodside was previously named to the official watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation's player of the year.

Woodside was also named to the official Watch List for the 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award today. The award honors the top quarterback from all divisions for his accomplishments both on and off the field. Woodside is the only quarterback from the Mid-American Conference to make the watch list.

Woodside shattered nearly every Toledo passing record in the books in 2016. He led the nation with 45 touchdown passes, 16 more than the previous best in Rocket history. He connected on 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,129 yards, an average of more than 317 yards per contest and another school record. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and was named a contender for the Heisman Trophy by the Heisman Trophy Trust. Most importantly, he directed the Rockets to nine wins, pacing an offense that scored at least 31 points in 11 of 13 games.

The Davey O'Brien Award, named in honor of former TCU quarterback Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the top quarterback in college football. The 2017 season marks the 11th year that fans will be invited to participate in the voting process on VoteOBrien.org. Results from the Davey O'Brien Fan Vote will be combined with the ballots from the Selection Committee. Fan voting, which accounts for five percent of the total balloting, will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Sixteen semifinalists for the award will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 7. From that list, the Foundation and the Selection Committee will announce the three finalists on Monday, Nov. 20. The 2017 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be announced live Thursday, Dec. 7 on The Home Depot College Football Awards. The 41st Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner will be held Monday, Feb. 19, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Golden Arm Award committee will announce the Top 15 finalists for the 2017 Golden Arm Award in September. The 30th anniversary presentation of the Golden Arm Award will be held onFriday, Dec. 8 at the Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & Grand. The award is named for Johnny Unitas, an 18-year veteran of the NFL who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958.

To win an award you have to be on the initial list of nominees. Check for Woodside. Could it be he’s the next NAME BRAND quarterback to roll out of the Mid-American Conference? Could be.