Five Bears on watch lists for national football honors

With the buzz around the Baylor football program at its highest level in years, individual Bears are beginning to be noticed not only regionally, but on a national level.

Five Baylor student-athletes have been named to the watch lists for national honors, starting with quarterback Robert Griffin. Though just a sophomore, Griffin was among 33 players named to the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list. [8/17 update: Griffin also was named to the Maxwell Award watch list (nation’s top all-around player) and the Manning Award watch list (nation’s top QB).] Senior center J.D. Walton (pictured) is on two watch lists, being followed for the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) and the Rimington Award (top center).

On the other side of the ball, senior Jordan Lake joins 30 other candidates for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. Fellow senior Joe Pawelek earned a spot on three watch lists: the Bednarik Award (top defensive player), the Rotary Lombardi Award (down linemen and some other defensive players) and the Lott Trophy (recognizing athletic performance and personal character attributes). Last but not least, junior Derek Epperson is one of nine players on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award (top punter) after earning semi-finalist recognition last year.

Add all of this up along with the Bears’ other talented returners and newcomers, and you can see why three ESPN pundits predicted Baylor will make their first bowl appearance in years this winter.

Sic ’em, Baylor football!