PROVO, Utah — The John Mackey Award today named BYU senior tight end Kaneakua Friel to its preseason watch list.
Presented since 2000, the John Mackey Award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end.
One of 37 players named to the Mackey Award watch list, Friel had 30 receptions for 308 yards in 13 starts last season for BYU, averaging 10.3 yards per catch. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound native of Kaneohe, Hawai'i, was second on the team with five receiving touchdowns in 2012.
Selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee, the John Mackey Award will be presented live on Dec. 12, 2013 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU. A midseason watch list will be released on Oct. 14 before the announcement of semifinalists on Nov. 18 and finalists on Nov. 25.
The annual award is named after NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey. 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.