By Jason Bryant

TheOpenMat.com

Penn State’s David Taylor has been nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Male College Athlete. If you’re unaware of what an ESPY Award is, it’s basically an Oscars-style awards show put on annually by ESPN. It’s got a good mix of sports icons, celebrities and every now and then, an amateur athlete who receives a giant push for something remarkable.

In 2011, Arizona State’s Anthony Robles received two ESPYs, one for best disabled athlete and the Jimmy V Award, which goes to deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through physical perseverance and determination. The award is named after the late N.C. State basketball coach and EPSN basketball analyst Jim Valvano, who had a much publicized battle with cancer.

Periodically, one of our exceptional wrestlers will be nominated in the Best Male College Athlete category. Since 2002, only one wrestler has won the award. You might be able to figure out who that is – Cael Sanderson.

Back in 2007, Missouri’s Ben Askren was nominated for the same award. I remember writing a blog about it a few years ago comparing him to nominees Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. Someone else was in there, I can’t remember who, probably Heisman Trophy Winner Troy Smith. Yeah, it was Smith.

So I broke down a few reasons why Askren should win. From a historical perspective, Minnesota’s Cole Konrad was the Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year that year, ahead of Oden and Smith. Askren was the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year, ahead of Durant. The point there was how could someone voted for a conference award below someone else possibly win an ESPY? That blog was more cut and dry about why Askren should win — he didn’t win, although he should have.

That brings us to Taylor and how he stacks up against the other nominees for 2013-2014. Taylor’s up against a talented field, which includes Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston of Florida State, Naismith Award winner (men’s basketball) Doug McDermott from Creighton, Hobey Baker Award winner (men’s ice hockey) Johnny Gaudreau from Boston College and men’s lacrosse sensation Lyle Thompson from the University of Albany.

Unlike 2007, where it seemed Askren had a clear advantage based on conference awards and two athletes representing the same sport, this year’s group will give Taylor a run, because of the five athletes nominated, four seem to be really deserving.

Here’s what Taylor is up against, and most of this is tounge-in-cheek. This might be the most biased blog in the history of my career, that being said, enjoy!

Jameis Winston, Florida State (Football)

Argument For: Won the Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to college football’s top player. Winston also plays for Florida State’s baseball team and isnt’ terrible pitching. He ranked No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency, which is the only statistical category he led nationally. Noted as the best player on Division I football’s best team. I guess that’s an argument for Winston.

Argument against: Character. While there were no formal charges filed against Winston for a December 2012 rape allegation, his April citation for shoplifing crab legs from a Florida grocery store casts more doubts about his character. It also drives guys like Sig Hansen crazy. That’s a Deadliest Catch reference for those unfamiliar. Statistically speaking, Winston led in just one category among quarterbacks. Fresno State’s Derek Carr led the nation in seven of 10 passing categories. Winston ranked in the national top 10 in six of the 10 categories tracked by NCAA.com, but he’s behind Carr in pretty much every one. He’s also a freshman. While the ESPY isn’t a lifetime achievement award, wrestling and other individual sports are continually behind the proverbial eight-ball when it comes to honoring single-season accomplishments. Will Winston graduate or will he jump right into the NFL draft when eligible? I can’t help but think of former University of Virginia basketball player Olden Polynice compared to Winston. If you don’t know who Polynice is, here’s a refresher.

Doug McDermott, Creighton (Men’s Basketball)

Argument For: What I like about McDermott is he doesn’t play for a school in a traditional power conference. Creighton, which is in Omaha, has made a name for itself in men’s basketball and men’s soccer, so there’s a few more hurdles athletes at a school like Creighton have to overcome compared to their big-time counterparts. McDermott led the nation in scoring and led in total points. He was second in field goals made, but he was also second in field goals attempted. He led the NCAA in two of the eight measured NCAA categories (according to NCAA.com).

Argument Against: This is where it’s a bit of a nitpick considering the whole point of this it to push that Taylor should win the ESPY. McDermott turned the ball over 62 times during the season. He only had 55 assists. For a scorer like McDermott, this is a throwaway stat considering how many times he handles the ball and how many times he’s on the receiving end of passes from teammates. McDermott has a very strong case, but if you turn the ball over more than you dish it to teammates for scores, you’re disqualified!

Johnny Gaudreau, Boston College (Men’s Ice Hockey)

Argument For: The winner of the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the nation’s best collegiate hockey player, Gaudreau is another strong candidate. What I like about Gaudreau is he’s fearless. He’s only 5-foot-6. He led the nation in points per game with 21 goals and 30 assists in 35 games. The guy is a real team player and is extremely fun to watch. In an era where so many talented hockey players are going right to the NHL from the junior leagues, Gaudreau went the college route where his speed and athleticism in a rugged sport like hockey make him a strong candidate. He ranked fifth in the nation in goals and scored six game-winning goals this past season.

Argument Against: Taylor helped lead his team to four NCAA Division I championships, Gaudreau, as good as he is, saw his team lose this season in the Frozen Four to Union College, the eventual champions. Union … they’re Division III for nearly everything except hockey. DIS-QUALIFY! We’re half kidding.

Lyle Thompson, Albany (Men’s Lacrosse)

Argument For: During the NCAA Division I lacrosse tournament, shown on ESPN quite a bit, the trio of Thompsons from Albany wowed fans of lacrosse and sports fans in general. The Thompsons, two brothers and a cousin, led the Great Danes to the NCAA quarterfinals, where they lost a wildly-exciting 14-13 overtime game to Notre Dame. Thompson led the nation in points per game and assists per game, while his brother Miles led the nation in goals per game. I enjoyed watching the Notre Dame game.

Argument Against: Gaudreau led his team to a Frozen Four appearance this past season, where Albany didn’t reach the semifinals. With Miles Thompson leading the team in goals, who was the team’s best player? Should the Thompsons be counted as a unit rather than one player? I mean, if you’re growing up passing the ball back and forth with your brother, don’t you have a chemistry most others don’t have? The guy is a great athlete, but it’s also a team sport, guys around you can make you look better, right?

David Taylor, Penn State (Wrestling)

Argument For: Taylor helped lead Penn State to four straight NCAA Division I championships. Winston and Gaudreau were part of one championship team apiece. Taylor went undefeated and of his 34 victories, 16 were by fall and eight more by technical fall and eight by major decision. The only wrestler he didn’t defeat by bonus points was four-time All-American Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State. Taylor is also the only athlete nominated who participated in an individual sport, meaning his statistics are not reliant upon teammates catching the ball or passing him the ball to score. Taylor was fourth in Division I in falls, sixth in technical falls and led the nation in percentage of bonus victories. Taylor was also named the Most Dominant Wrestler by the NCAA because of his proficiency in dominating opponents. Taylor also won the Dan Hodge Trophy twice.

Argument Against: Nothing comes to mind.

VOTE #M2

http://espn.go.com/espys/2014/