ATLANTA, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless and ABC Sports today announced the four nominees for the Cingular-ABC Sports All-America Player of the Year, and for the second year in a row, teammates are on the final ballot. USC quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and fellow Trojan running back Reggie Bush headline the star-studded list of finalists for the award, the only one determined exclusively by fan voting. The other finalists are Texas quarterback Vince Young, a three-time Cingular-ABC Sports Player of the Week, and Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, a two-time winner this year. All nominees were selected by a panel of ABC Sports and ESPN college football analysts.
The selection of this year's winner now rests solely in the hands of college football fans nationwide. Fans have until Sunday, December 4 at midnight EST to vote, via wireless text messaging, for this year's outstanding gridiron performer. The selection process will culminate on December 10 at 2 p.m. in a one-hour special on ABC Sports when the Cingular-ABC Sports Player of the Year and the Football Writers Association of America All-America team will be announced. Last year, Texas running back Cedric Benson was selected as the Player of the Year.
"You couldn't ask for a more qualified group of finalists for this year's Cingular-ABC Sports All-America Player of the Year," said Marc Lefar, chief marketing officer for Cingular. "College football fans will have a tough choice choosing among these outstanding players. But the strength of this award is that the fans get to choose the winner -- and Cingular is proud to provide the technology behind the voting."
The credentials of the candidates are impressive, as they have led their teams to a combined record of 31-2 and rankings among the Top 8 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Between them, they have accounted for almost 13,000 yards of total offense and 110 touchdowns in 2005. Below is a statistical overview of each player's qualifications:
Reggie Bush - Junior - Running Back - University of Southern California
1,398 yards rushing ... 383 yards receiving ... 16 total touchdowns ... 213 yards/game
2005 Notes: Week 12 All-America Player of the Week; recorded seven 100- yard rushing games; tallied 513 all-purpose yards against Fresno State, second highest total ever in the NCAA; Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year
Matt Leinart - Senior - Quarterback - University of Southern California
3,217 yards passing ... 30 total touchdowns ... 66% completions ... 162 QB rating
2005 Notes: Week 3 nominee for All-America Player of the Week; had six 300-yard passing games and three games with at least 4 TD passes; named First Team All Pac-10; 2004 Heisman Trophy winner
Brady Quinn - Junior - Quarterback - University of Notre Dame
3,633 yards passing ... 32 touchdowns ... 65% completions ... 163 QB rating
2005 Notes: Two-time All-America Player of the Week (Weeks 5 and 8); recorded four 400-yard passing games; set school record with 6 TD passes against BYU; set single-season school records for attempts, completions, yards, yards per game and TD passes
Vince Young - Junior - Quarterback - University of Texas
2,576 yards passing ... 793 yards rushing ... 31 total touchdowns ... 165 QB rating
2005 Notes: Only second player ever to win All-America Player of the Week three times (Weeks 2, 7 and 9); passed for over 200 yards and rushed for over 100 in the same game twice; set school record with 506 total yards against Oklahoma State
Here's how fans can register to vote for the Cingular-ABC Sports All- America Player of the Year. Those who have already participated in the Player of the Week voting this season will automatically receive a text message with the four candidates.
Each time fans vote, they are entered into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the Bowl Championship Series game of their choice. Fans can vote as often as they like.
Previous Cingular-ABC Sports All-America Player of the Week winners this season include Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, Texas quarterback Vince Young, Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal, Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, UCLA running back Maurice Drew, and Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski, Auburn running back Kenny Irons, USC running back Reggie Bush and Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson.
