FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. —UTSA senior Jalen Rhodes and junior Josiah Tauaefa have been named to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list.

Rhodes and Tauaefa are two of 106 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) who appear on this year's watch list. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented annually at the All Sports Association's Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

Rhodes, who last week was named an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® nominee, is heavily involved in several community service projects. He is a regular contributor to UTSA's Rowdy Readers program, where he visits local elementary schools to read to children. He also has traveled to local schools to speak to youth about his experience as a student-athlete and doing well in school. The Rowlett, Texas, native participated in UTSA's Spring 18 Day of Service, which entailed prep work for rehab of homes in a neighborhood near downtown San Antonio.

On the field, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound running back has rushed for 1,728 yards and 17 touchdowns on 349 carries during his UTSA career. He holds school records for single-game (3) and single-season (9) rushing touchdowns and he needs just 666 yards to become the program's all-time leader rusher.

Tauaefa has been involved in UTSA's Rowdy Readers program, as well as with UTSA's Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The Corinth, Texas, native, also has led the football team's participation in For The Kids' annual dance marathon, which helps raise money for families of childhood cancer patients. Tauaefa assisted in UTSA's Spring 18 Day of Service, where he led a group in scraping paint from homes for rehab prep. Earlier this year he teamed up with a local elementary student for a project called Cardboard Kids, which raises awareness about child abuse in Bexar County.

Tauaefa, a 6-1, 240-pound linebacker, is a preseason All-Conference USA selection and a 2016 FWAA Freshman All-American. Last fall, the Lake Dallas High product registered 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and a fumble return for a touchdown despite missing most of four contests. He posted a school-record 115 tackles, nine TFLs, six sacks, seven quarterback hurries and an interception en route to C-USA Freshman of the Year and first-team all-league honors in 2016.

Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 1 and finalists will be announced on November 19.

The formal announcement of the 2018 recipient will be made at the National Football Foundation's press conference in New York City on Dec. 4. The presentation of the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 50th All Sports Association Awards Banquet on Feb. 15, 2019, in Fort Walton Beach.

Past winners of the award are: Rudy Niswanger - LSU - 2005; Joel Penton - Ohio State - 2006; Paul Smith - Tulsa - 2008; Tim Tebow - Florida - 2008; Tim Hiller - Western Michigan - 2009; Sam Acho - Texas - 2010; Barrett Jones - Alabama - 2011; Matt Barkley - USC - 2012; Gabe Ikard - Oklahoma - 2013; Deterrian Shackelford - Ole Miss - 2014; Ty Darlington - Oklahoma - 2015; Trevor Knight - Texas A&M - 2016; Courtney Love - Kentucky - 2017.

The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 24 awards boast more than 800 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.ncfaa.org to learn more.



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