Follow along with Notre Dame football awards tracker for 2025 season
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SOUTH BEND —Notre Dame football missed out on the College Football Playoff, but the 11th-ranked Irish have plenty of national award candidates on their roster.
See who the finalists are and track the eventual winners in each category as the hardware is rolled out in the coming days:
Jeremiyah Love, running back
A junior from St. Louis, Love broke Jerome Bettis’ 34-year-old school record for touchdowns in a season with 21.
Expected to be named a Heisman Trophy finalist on Monday night, Love would be the first Irish player to earn that distinction since linebacker Manti Te’o in 2012.
Previously, Love was named as a finalist for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. Those go, respectively, to the nation’s player of the year and the nation’s top running back, with announcements due Friday evening at ESPN’s College Football Awards.
Love also is one of five finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, announced on ESPN on Dec. 10.
In addition, Love joined Jadarian Price as finalists for the Pony Express Award, which goes to the nation’s top tandem, regardless of position.
Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State) are the other finalists for the Maxwell Award.
Finalists for the Walter Camp Award include Mendoza and Sayin along with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
Ahmad Hardy (Missouri) and Kewan Lacy (Mississippi) are the other finalists for the Doak Walker Award.
Leonard Moore, cornerback
A finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back, Moore had a standout sophomore season.
Despite missing two games in September with a high ankle sprain, the Austin, Texas product led the team with five interceptions, including a 46-yard touchdown return against Syracuse.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane are the other finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, with the winner announced Friday night Dec. 12 at the College Football Awards.
Downs joins fellow Nagurski finalists Jacob Rodriguez, a Texas Tech linebacker; and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell for the Monday night, Dec. 8 announcement in Charlotte, N.C.
Jadarian Price, running back/kick returner
A fourth-year junior from Denison, Texas, Price is a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. The winner will be announced Thursday Dec. 11.
He joins star running back Jeremiyah Love as finalists for the Pony Express Award, sponsored by former SMU greats Craig James and Eric Dickerson and given to the nation’s best tandem, regardless of position. The announcement is scheduled for Monday Dec. 8.
The other finalists were Ohio State’s Julian Sayin (quarterback) and Jeremiah Smith (wide receiver); Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez (linebacker) and David Bailey (edge); and Texas A&M receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.
The other Hornung Award finalists are running backs Wayne Knight (James Madison) and Jonah Coleman (Washington); and receiver/returners Caullin Lacy (Louisville); KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and J’Koby Williams (Texas Tech).
Price, who scored a total of 15 touchdowns in three phases (11 rushing, two receiving and two on kickoff returns), finished with 674 rushing yards on 113 carries. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and added six receptions for 87 yards out of the backfield.
CJ Carr, quarterback
A redshirt freshman from Saline, Mich., Carr was named among 10 finalists for the Manning Award, which honors the nation’s top quarterback.
Drew Mestemaker of North Texas was the only other redshirt freshman to make the list of finalists. An announcement is due in late January after the CFP national championship on Jan. 19.
Along with Mestemaker, Carr is also one of five finalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney and Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. also made the list.
Aamil Wagner, right tackle
Named Notre Dame’s Man of the Year at the season-ending Echoes Awards, the fourth-year junior captain from Yellow Springs, Ohio, is a finalist for the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award.
Wagner, a team captain who with an active streak of 28 consecutive starts over the past two seasons, is a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football national awards tracker as spotlight finds several
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