OVERLAND PARK, KS – BYU senior offensive tackle Matt Reynolds was one of 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) student-athletes selected as a candidate today for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for excellence both on and off the field.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award and All-America candidate, Reynolds enters his senior season as one of the nation's top lineman after deciding not to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. A left tackle who has started every game of his career, Reynolds has been named a 2011 preseason All-American by ESPN.com, USA Today, Athlon, Lindy's, Rivals.com, Sporting News and Phil Steele, among others, in addition to being listed on the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award Watch Lists and as the No. 24 college football player in the country by Rivals.com.
A team captain both last season and this season, Reynolds is a home and family living major and three-time Academic All-Conference honoree.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2011 candidate class includes four Associated Press All-Americans from last season. Eight of the 30 have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Five of the candidates were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2010 Academic All-Americans. Twelve of the candidates play for teams ranked in the USA Today preseason top 25 poll. Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2011 football bowl season.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. 

Football 2011 Candidates
Name | Position | School |
---|---|---|
Emmanuel Acho | Linebacker | Texas |
Jeff Allen | Offensive Tackle | Illinois |
Jake Bequette | Defensive End | Arkansas |
Tony Bergstrom | Offensive Tackle | Utah |
Michael Brewster | Center | Ohio State |
Drew Butler | Punter | Georgia |
Kirk Cousins | Quarterback | Michigan State |
Jared Crick | Defensive Tackle | Nebraska |
Austin Davis | Quarterback | Southern Mississippi |
Jeff Demps | Running Back | Florida |
John Dowd | Offensive Guard | Navy |
Michael Egnew | Tight End | Missouri |
Alan Gendreau | Kicker | Middle Tennessee State |
Kevin Goessling | Kicker | Fresno State |
Chandler Harnish | Quarterback | Northern Illinois |
Aaron Henry | Safety | Wisconsin |
Joe Holland | Linebacker | Purdue |
Jared Karstetter | Wide Receiver | Washington State |
Case Keenum | Quarterback | Houston |
Chase Minnifield | Cornerback | University of Virginia |
Dan Persa | Quarterback | Northwestern |
Tauren Poole | Running Back | University of Tennessee |
Nate Potter | Offensive Tackle | Boise State |
Matt Reynolds | Offensive Tackle | BYU |
Adrian Robinson | Defensive End | Temple |
David Ruffer | Kicker | Notre Dame |
Will Snyderwine | Kicker | Duke |
Nate Stupar | Linebacker | Penn State |
Bobby Wagner | Linebacker | Utah State |
Dawson Zimmerman | Punter | Clemson |