Former Miami Hurricanes DE Jaelan Phillips Nominated For Walter Payton Award
Each year, the NFL honors one player who makes strides off the field to better the community around them, with the league's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
The league has released its 32 finalists for the award this year and one former Miami Hurricane has been recognized by the award committee. Ex-Hurricane defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins, is one of the 32 players to grace the shortlist.
Phillips has been a part of this Miami community for years, dating back to his time at The U, and has been active in his efforts to give back. In addition to his work off the field, the young edge rusher is having a pretty good season on the field too. He's got 41 tackles, five sacks, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery to help the Dolphins to an 8-4 start.
Before becoming a first-round draft pick in 2021, Phillips spent two years at Miami, playing just one season due to transfer rules. In his time with the Hurricanes, he was named a second team All-American and was a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. It seems he's continuing to make a difference in more ways than one at the professional level.
The Miami Dolphins are in the midst of an epic turnaround and Phillips has played a huge part in that. With any luck, the Fins will find themselves in the playoffs after the regular season wraps up. Whether or not Phillips wins the Walter Payton Award is likely of little concern to him. All that's on his mind is helping the city and community that he represents.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
