DALLAS – Tennessee’s Bru McCoy was named to the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award watch list on Thursday, which is in its eighth season of recognizing the top leaders in college football.

The Witten Award honors the type of exemplary character and commitment to community, family and teammates demonstrated by Jason Witten, the 2012 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year and one of the most prominent role models in the game. 

McCoy is one of 52 players on this year’s watch list, which is made up of well-respected individuals who have demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Witten was also a standout tight end for the Volunteers during his college career, earning All-America honors from the Sporting News in 2002 before being selected in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft and going on to have a decorated 17-year pro career that included 11 Pro Bowl appearances.

Now in his third season at Tennessee, McCoy has become a team leader for the Big Orange in all facets. The redshirt senior wide receiver has also fought through adversity and served as an inspiration to his teammates and others through his determination and commitment to helping others, all traits that are required to be considered for this prestigious honor.

McCoy’s determination to return from a gruesome ankle fracture-dislocation last season has inspired his teammates, coaches, fans and countless others as he prepared to return to the football field and represent the Vols in his final collegiate season in 2024. His courage during the early days of his recovery followed by his persistence throughout the rehabilitation process has served as a reminder to everyone that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and attack every day with a purpose.

Aside from his inspirational road to recovery, McCoy has also used his platform to benefit others in need through his “Huddle for Hearts” initiative, which has helped provide youth athletic organizations with AEDs (automated external defibrillator), a medical device designed to save those experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

McCoy was inspired to start the initiative after seeing the sudden cardiac arrest incident involving NFL player Demar Hamlin during the Buffalo Bills – Kansas City Chiefs “Monday Night Football” game in January of 2024. The frightening incident resulted in McCoy getting involved with the Peyton Walker Foundation’s life-saving efforts.

McCoy will look to become the second UT player to take home the Witten Award. Offensive lineman Trey Smith won the award in 2019 while Hendon Hooker (2022) and Joe Milton III (2023) were both semifinalists the past two years.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years.

Twenty semifinalists will be announced on Oct. 22 while the three finalists will be named on Monday, Dec. 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2025.

The complete list of nominees for the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award can be seen HERE.