DALLAS — BYU safety Tanner Wall was today named a semifinalist for the ninth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, presented annually to a student-athlete who exhibits exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
In September, Wall was named to the prestigious 11-member Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He is also a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
Wall, a 6-1, 205-pound senior from Arlington, Virginia has started all six games for BYU in 2025. The Cougar defensive captain currently has 19 tackles and one interception.
As a junior in 2024, Wall started all 13 games, was the team co-leader in interceptions with three, ranked fourth in total tackles with 53 and had four pass defections and a pass breakup to help BYU go 11-2 and earn a No. 13 final ranking.
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Wall was named CSC Academic All-America First Team for his excellence in the classroom and received All-Big 12 Third Team recognition by College Football Network for his play on the field. In addition, he earned recognition on both the Fall Academic All-Big 12 Team and Commissioner's Honor Roll in both 2023 and 2024. Wall graduated from BYU with a 3.89 GPA in finance and is currently enrolled in the BYU Marriott School MBA program.
Wall has also been very involved in a variety of community service endeavors during his time at BYU. He currently coordinates the BYU football efforts with the BYU-Pathway Worldwide program to help connect with and mentor hundreds of students from across Africa and the South Pacific.
He also served as the co-chair of the BYU Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Service Committee for three years, which provides service opportunities for student-athletes in the local community.
Wall also speaks regularly at local school events and church devotionals for youth to inspire them to pursue education and value learning and discipline. Along with other members of the BYU football team, he makes regular visits to patients at Utah Valley Hospital who are struggling with illness.
Semifinalists for the 2025 includesJason Witten award include, CJ Allen (Georgia), Nick Andersen (Wake Forest), Cam Ball (Arkansas), Jude Bowry (Boston College), Deion Burks (Oklahoma), Arion Carter (Tennessee), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Jalon Daniels (Kansas), Nick Dawkins (Penn State), Aiden Fisher (Indiana), Ernest Hausmann (Michigan), Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State), Devin Mockobee (Purdue), Koa Naotala (Old Dominion), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt), Michael Taaffe (Texas), Aamil Wagner (Notre Dame) and Wall (BYU).
Three finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will be named on Dec. 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on April 16, 2026.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. In addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport. During his 16-year pro career, Witten served as one of football’s most prominent role models. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution is made by the Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The foundation operates its SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters. Over the last 16 years, the program has impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years.