UTSA senior quarterback Frank Harris has landed on the Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced Tuesday.
A semifinalist for the award last season, Harris is one of 35 signal callers — including one of four from the American Athletic Conference — on this year’s list.
Harris, who also was tabbed for the Maxwell Award Watch List for the second straight season last week, owns more than 30 school records and a 31-11 record as the starting QB as he enters his final campaign with the Roadrunners. The 2022 Conference USA Most Valuable Player and first-team all-conference performer completed 328 of 471 passes (69.6%) for 4,063 yards and 32 TDs and a 160.7 passing efficiency, all school records to help lead UTSA to an 11-3 record and a second straight league crown last fall. A finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist a year ago, he logged seven 300-yard passing games, including a UTSA record 414 in the 45-30 win at Middle Tennessee, and he totaled 400-plus yards of offense three times, highlighted by a school record 423 in the same contest. Harris added 602 rushing yards — the program standard for a QB — and nine scores on the ground.
For his career, Harris has thrown for 9,356 yards and 74 touchdowns on 816-of-1210 passing to go with 1,822 rushing yards and 24 scores on 372 carries. The Schertz Clemens High School product owns UTSA’s total offense record with 11,178 yards, which ranks fifth among active FBS quarterbacks, and his 42 career starts are the fourth-best total.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 47th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at The Fort Worth Club.
The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 17, and will contain all active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, all players honored as a weekly Great 8 recipient through the season’s first seven weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.
The Midseason Watch List will then be pared down to the 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2023 on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will again play a role in the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting totals when combined with the national selection committee’s ballots. Voting will begin on Oct. 24.
The list of semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tuesday, Nov. 21). The 2023 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 7, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA crown and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
UTSA has been picked to finish second in the AAC Preseason Media Poll and will kick off its 13th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 2, against Houston. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on FS1.
UTSA will face Texas State for the home opener at 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners will host Army at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
2023 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List
Carter Bradley, South Alabama, Sr., 6-3, 216, Jacksonville, Fla.
Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State, Sr., 6-1, 196, Honolulu, Hawai’i
Jalon Daniels, Kansas, Jr., 6-0, 215, Lawndale, Calif.
Jayden Daniels, LSU, Sr., 6-4, 210, San Bernardino, Calif.
Quinn Ewers, Texas, So., 6-2, 195, Southlake, Texas
Dequan Finn, Toledo, Jr., 6-2, 205, Detroit, Mich.
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma, Sr., 5-11, 204, Mililani, Hawai’i
Taylen Green, Boise State, So., 6-6, 223, Lewisville, Texas
Frank Harris, UTSA, Sr., 6-0, 205, Schertz, Texas
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame, Sr., 6-1, 212, Charlotte, N.C.
Seth Henigan, Memphis, Jr., 6-3, 210, Denton, Texas
Will Howard, Kansas State, Sr., 6-5, 242, Downingtown, Pa.
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas, Sr., 6-3, 247, Sardis, Miss.
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, So., 6-2, 195, Austin, Texas
Devin Leary, Kentucky, Sr., 6-1, 217, Sicklerville, N.J.
Riley Leonard, Duke, Jr., 6-4, 212, Fairhope, Ala.
Drake Maye, North Carolina, So., 6-4, 230, Huntersville, N.C.
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina, Sr., 6-3, 220, Indian Trail, N.C.
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan, Jr., 6-3, 202, La Grange Park, Ill.
Joe Milton III, Tennessee, Sr., 6-5, 235, Pahokee, Fla.
Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin, Sr., 6-2, 218, Waco, Texas
Bo Nix, Oregon, Sr., 6-3, 214, Pinson, Ala.
Michael Penix Jr., Sr., Washington, 6-3, 213, Tampa, Fla.
John Rhys Plumlee, UCF, Sr., 6-0, 200, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Michael Pratt, Tulane, Jr., 6-3, 220, Boca Raton, Fla.
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky, Jr., 6-2, 230, St. Augustine Beach, Fla.
Cameron Rising, Utah, Sr., 6-2, 220, Ventura, Calif.
Will Rogers, Mississippi State, Jr., 6-2, 210, Brandon, Miss.
Kurtis Rourke, Ohio, Sr., 6-5, 231, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Garrett Shrader, Syracuse, Sr., 6-4, 225, Charlotte, N.C.
Jeff Sims, Nebraska, Jr., 6-4, 220, Jacksonville, Fla.
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland, Sr., 5-11, 208, Ewa Beach, Hawai’i
Jordan Travis, Florida State, Sr., 6-1, 212, West Palm Beach, Fla.
E.J. Warner, Temple, So., 6-0, 190, Phoenix, Ariz.
Caleb Williams, USC, Jr., 6-1, 220, Washington, D.C.