PROVO -- BYU tight end Daniel Coats has been selected as one of 26 candidates for the 2004 John Mackey Award. The Nassau County Sports Commission released its official "watch list" today, naming the preliminary contenders for the annual award that honors the top Division I-A tight end in the country. The winner of the award will be announced in early December and will receive the trophy at the NCSC's annual awards dinner in April 2005.
"Daniel had an outstanding freshman season," offensive coordinator Todd Bradford said. "We're expecting great things from him. He works hard; he does the things we've asked of him, both on and off the field; he's a dedicated husband and father; he stands for everything we're looking for in a player at BYU. It's really no surprise to see him on the Mackey Award list."
Coats, the only sophomore on the list of candidates, earned TSN Freshman All-America honors last season after recording 30 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Coats, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound native of Layton, Utah, was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after helping BYU to a 24-13 victory over Georgia Tech in the 2003 season-opener. Coats led the Cougars with six receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
After his nation's best performance against Georgia Tech, Coats earned Chevrolet Player-of-the-Game honors against third-ranked USC, recording a career-high eight receptions for 114 yards against the eventual national champions. His eight receptions against the Trojans marked the most receiving yards by a BYU tight end since Doug Jolley recorded 177 yards against Air Force in 2001.
Entering the third week of the 2003 season, Coats averaged a nation's best 103.5 yards per game, along with an average 7.0 receptions per game.
The John Mackey Award was created by the NCSC under the guidance of Board Member Don McPerson, a Nassau County native and former NFL and Syracuse University All-American quarterback. Mackey, also a Nassau County native, is regarded as one of the all-time great tight ends. In addition to being an NFL Hall-of-Fame member, he was the first president of the NFL Players Association and won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Baltimore Colts' SuperBowl V championship team.
The 2003 winner, Kellen Winslow II, was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Finalists Ben Troupe and Kris Wilson were both selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.