Jake Briningstool, Will Putnam named to national award watch lists

Jake Briningstool was named to the Mackey Award watch list for the nation's top tight end on Friday.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Friday, August 04 2023

Two more Tigers were identified as national award contenders.

The Friends of John Mackey organization announced Friday that tight end Jake Briningstool has been named as one of 48 candidates on the watch list for the Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation’s top tight end.

Briningstool is a former No. 1-rated tight end in the nation out of high school slated for more playing time this season, entering 2023 having caught 28 career passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns in 494 offensive snaps over 22 career games (one start).

The Rimington Trophy and the Boomer Esiason Foundation announced Friday that center Will Putnam has been named to the 2023 watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s top center.

Putnam enters 2023 as a three-year starter along the offensive line, including two seasons at guard in 2020-21 and an all-conference campaign at center in 2022. His 2,611 snaps from scrimmage is already the 19th-most in Clemson history, over 47 career games (36 starts).

This year, the Rimington Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down its list to the top 40 centers. PFF grades every player on every play of every game on how well they execute their given assignment. That play-by-play grading allowed the Trophy committee to create a watchlist based both on nominations from the schools and data provided by PFF. Once the season begins, schools will be able to nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these three prestigious teams to determine a winner:

· Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)

· Sporting News (SN)

· Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)

Clemson begins fall camp on Friday and starts the season at Duke on Labor Day.