Aggies abound on preseason watch lists

With only weeks remaining until Texas A&M kicks off its 2005-06 football season, several Aggies have been named to a number of national preseason football awards watch lists.

Texas A&M announced Wednesday that senior quarterback Reggie McNeal is one of 40 players to watch for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award. McNeal has also been named to this year’s watch list for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top college football player.

Senior safety Jaxson Appel is included on the 2005 preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award. The Thorpe Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college football defensive back. Appel has also been added to the 2005 watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given annually to the College Defensive Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club.

Members of the media and various print publications have also recognized Appel’s tough and aggressive style of play. Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook has placed the Aggies’ defensive back on its pre-season All-American team, and media that covers the Big Twelve conference named Appel to its preseason all-conference team.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission recently announced Texas A&M senior placekicker Todd Pegram to the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award 2005 Preseason Watch List. Pegram is one of A&M’s most accurate placekickers in school history and was a semifinalist for the Groza Award last season.

This week the Boomer Esiason Foundation and The Sports Group named Aggie sophomore Chris Yoder to the 2005 Rimington Trophy Watch List. The Rimington Trophy recipient is determined by a consensus of the four All-America teams’ top center: The Walter Camp Football Foundation, America Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, and The Sporting News.

The staff of a national online publication, CollegeFootballNews.com, placed Texas A&M’s Danny Gorrer and Cyril Obiozor onto its 2005 Redshirt Freshman All-America Team. Following spring drills, Gorrer emerged as a starter at cornerback and Obiozor earned a spot in the Aggies’ defensive end rotation.

The Aggies open the 2005 season on Sept. 3 when A&M faces the Clemson Tigers at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. The game will be televised by ABC.


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