PROVO -- John Beck is one of 34 quarterbacks named to the 2006 Davey O' Brien National Quarterback Award preseason watch list.
The 2006 watch list is made up of 34 candidates, including 19 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores representing 11 conferences.
Celebrating 30 years, the O'Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O'Brien. O'Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell awards in one season.
Beck, the 6-1, 216-pound senior from Mesa, Ariz., threw for 3,709 yards and 27 touchdowns last season as a junior. He ranked fifth nationally in passing yards per game (309.1) and first in the Mountain West Conference.
Last season, Beck set single-game MWC records for passing yards (517) and touchdowns (five) against TCU. Beck is on pace to move into second place in career passing yards at BYU. If Beck throws for at least 3,000 yards he will surpass former BYU greats Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco.
Three former BYU quarterbacks have won the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback award including Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Ty Detmer (two times).
In addition to Beck, three other MWC quarterbacks were named to the Davey O' Brien watch list: Jeff Ballard (TCU), Shaun Carney (Air Force) and Brian Johnson (Utah).