Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Clayton Thorson Listed in Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Top 15
10/24/2018 1:44:00 PM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — The top 30 candidates for The 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® presented by A.O. Smith were reduced to a list of 15 of the country's top college quarterbacks Wednesday morning.
Northwestern senior quarterback Clayton Thorson was one of the 15 quarterbacks who made the cut for the award given annually since 1987 to the nation's top college quarterback, based on accomplishments both on and off the field.
Thorson is fifth among active FBS quarterbacks and already ranks eighth in Big Ten history with 9,453 career passing yards. He is just one of two players in Big Ten history to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for 20 touchdowns in his career.
"The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A.O. Smith considers character, citizenship, integrity, leadership, and honor," said John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. "The same characteristics that were displayed by my father are highly valued by A. O. Smith and are every bit as important as the quarterback's completion rate or number of touchdowns scored,"
Giving life to the commitment to give back, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and A.O. Smith will continue to promote football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes. A. O. Smith is committed to creating innovative solutions that set new standards for their industry, just like Unitas did in football.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A.O. Smith ceremony will be held on December 7, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Past standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011); Marcus Mariota (University of Oregon, 2014); Connor Cook (Michigan State, 2015); Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016) and the 2017 winner, Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State).
The hashtag #InnovationLeaders will be visible on all Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation and Golden Arm Award® advertising, marketing, social media, website, and public relations materials and represents the commitment to always being leaders through innovation. Branded content and advertising will promote the award along with A. O. Smith's products and service.
Northwestern senior quarterback Clayton Thorson was one of the 15 quarterbacks who made the cut for the award given annually since 1987 to the nation's top college quarterback, based on accomplishments both on and off the field.
Remaining candidates for the prestigious annual award, named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, are:
- Jake Browning, Washington
- Eric Dungey, Syracuse
- Ryan Finley, NC State
- Will Grier, West Virginia
- Justin Herbert, Oregon
- Drew Lock, Missouri
- Trace McSorley, Penn State
- McKenzie Milton, UCF
- Gardner Minshew, Washington State
- Steven Montez, Colorado
- Shea Patterson, Michigan
- Brett Rypien, Boise State
- Jordan Ta'amu, Ole Miss
- Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
- Brady White, Memphis
Thorson is fifth among active FBS quarterbacks and already ranks eighth in Big Ten history with 9,453 career passing yards. He is just one of two players in Big Ten history to pass for 9,000 yards and rush for 20 touchdowns in his career.
"The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A.O. Smith considers character, citizenship, integrity, leadership, and honor," said John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. "The same characteristics that were displayed by my father are highly valued by A. O. Smith and are every bit as important as the quarterback's completion rate or number of touchdowns scored,"
Giving life to the commitment to give back, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and A.O. Smith will continue to promote football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes. A. O. Smith is committed to creating innovative solutions that set new standards for their industry, just like Unitas did in football.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A.O. Smith ceremony will be held on December 7, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Past standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011); Marcus Mariota (University of Oregon, 2014); Connor Cook (Michigan State, 2015); Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016) and the 2017 winner, Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State).
The hashtag #InnovationLeaders will be visible on all Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation and Golden Arm Award® advertising, marketing, social media, website, and public relations materials and represents the commitment to always being leaders through innovation. Branded content and advertising will promote the award along with A. O. Smith's products and service.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballA Day in the Life with Marcus Romain | Northwestern Football
Friday, May 01
Football - Caleb Tiernan Draft Night Press Conference (4/24/26)
Saturday, April 25
Jerry Neuheisel MIC'D UP | Northwestern Football
Friday, April 10
Football - Players Pro Day Media Availability (Beerntsen, Stone, Tiernan)
Tuesday, March 17
