New Haven, Conn. – Four quarterbacks and one running back comprise the list of five finalists for the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2013 Player of the Year award.

Senior quarterbacks AJ McCarron (Alabama) and Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois) lead the list along with redshirt sophomore Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) and redshirt freshman Jameis Winston (Florida State). Manziel is a Walter Camp Player of the Year finalist for the second straight year. The nation’s leading rusher, senior running back Andre Williams (Boston College) rounds out the list of finalists.

WCFF Player of the Year Finalists 2013

The 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on Thursday, December 12 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

Former University of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, now playing in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers, won the award last year.

The winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. The Foundation is offering a “Holiday Ticket Promotion” for the National Awards Dinner. Buy two tickets for $450 (you save $150) before December 31. Please call (203) 288-CAMP (288-2267) for more information.

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. Visit www.ncfaa.org.

The finalists for the 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year award:

JORDAN LYNCH – NORTHERN ILLINOIS – Senior – Quarterback – Jordan Lynch has led the Huskies to a 12-0 record entering Friday’s Mid-American Conference championship game… The leader of the fourth-ranked offensive unit (542.3 yards per game), Lynch averages 351.0 yards per game himself (good for fourth in the nation)… He also ranks fourth in the nation in rushing (146.3 yards per game) and has scored 20 touchdowns… He has completed 212-of-329 passes for 2,457 yards and 22 touchdowns.

JOHNNY MANZIEL – TEXAS A&M – Redshirt Sophomore – Quarterback – A finalist for the second straight year, Johnny Manziel has led the high-scoring Aggies to a 8-4 record and ranks third in the nation in total offense (368.2 yards per game)… He has completed 270-of-391 passes for 3,732 yards and 33 touchdowns… Manziel has posted four 400-yard passing efforts on the season, including a season-high 464 versus Alabama on September 14… He has also rushed for 686 yards and eight touchdowns.

AJ MCCARRON – ALABAMA – Senior – Quarterback – AJ McCarron has led the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide to an 11-1 record… He ranks ninth in the nation in passing efficiency (165.9) and has completed 207-of-306 passes for 2,676 yards… McCarron has thrown 26 touchdowns with just five interceptions… He has posted five 200-yard passing efforts, including a season-high 334 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Texas A&M on September 14.

ANDRE WILLIAMS – BOSTON COLLEGE – Senior – Running Back – The nation’s leading rusher with 2,102 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), Andre Williams has led Boston College to a 7-5 record in 2013… Williams also leads all FBS players with a 146.3 rushing yards per game average… He has scored 17 touchdowns, including a season-high five in a win over Army on October 5… Williams has totaled five 200-yard rushing efforts, including a season-high 339 in a win over North Carolina State on November 16.

JAMEIS WINSTON – FLORIDA STATE – Redshirt Freshman – Quarterback – Jameis Winston has led the high-scoring (53.7 points a game) and top-ranked Seminoles to a 12-0 record entering this weekend’s ACC championship game… Winston leads the nation in passing efficiency (192.64)… He has completed 218-of-317 passes for 3,490 yards and 35 touchdowns… Winston has thrown for 300 or more yards six times, including a season-best 444 in a victory over Clemson on October 19.