BOCA RATON, Florida – Harrison Bryant of Florida Atlantic has been voted the winner of the 2019 John Mackey Award, given to the most outstanding tight end in college football. Bryant is the first Owl in the 19-year history of the FAU football program to receive a national individual accolade, and will be presented with the trophy on Thursday during The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show in Atlanta (which can be viewed live on ESPNU beginning at 6 p.m.).
The senior and Gray, Georgia, native leads all tight ends nationwide with 65 catches and 1,004 receiving yards, and ranks fourth in the FBS with seven touchdowns (all coming in his last six games). Not only is Bryant the first Owl to earn such a prestigious national honor, he is the first non-Power Five player to ever receive the Mackey Award, which will be presented Thursday for the 20th time.
Also on Thursday, coinciding with the awards show, will be the release of – and Bryant’s potential inclusion on – The Walter Camp All-America team. Future key dates to watch out for also includes the FWAA All-America Team next Thursday, Dec. 19, as well as eventual All-America announcements by Associated Press, AFCA, ESPN, USA Today and more. Bryant has already earned First Team All-America recognition from Pro Football Focus, among a handful of individual honors to this point.
Bryant’s Award Season Accolades:
2019 John Mackey Award winner
Sports Illustrated First Team All-America
First Team All-Conference USA
Conference USA All-Academic
PFF First Team All-America
PFF C-USA Player of the Year
PFF All-C-USA Team
Bryant and the 10-3 Owls begin practice again on Thursday, heading towards a Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl matchup at FAU Stadium against SMU on Dec. 21. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or by visiting FAUTickets.com.
About the John Mackey Award
NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end
position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the
field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his
place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.
The John Mackey Award presented since 2000, recognizes 17 alumni that have played in
the NFL: two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham (’01), 2006 Super Bowl Champion
Dallas Clark (’02), Kellen Winslow II (’03), two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (’04), Marcedes Lewis (’05) of the Green Bay Packers, 2008 Super Bowl Champion Matt Spaeth (’06), Fred Davis (’07), Chase Coffman (’08), D.J. Williams (’10), Dwayne Allen (’11), Tyler Eifert (’12) of the Cincinnati Bengals, Austin Seferian-Jenkins (’13), Nick O’Leary (’14), Hunter Henry (’15) of the Los Angeles Chargers, Jake Butt (’16) of the Denver Broncos, Mark Andrews (’17) of the Baltimore Ravens and 2018 John Mackey Award recipient T.J. Hockenson of the Detroit Lions.
The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit NCFAA.org to learn more about the association.
The Friends of John Mackey are responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. Please visitwww.johnmackeyaward.com for all John Mackey Award-related information.
