Quarterback Aidan O'Connell Selected as 2022 Wuerffel Trophy Nominee for Purdue Football
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell has been selected as the 2022 Wuerfful Trophy nominee for the Purdue football program.
The award is presented annually to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.
Congrats to senior QB Aidan O'Connell for being selected as the 2022 #WuerffelTrophy nominee from @BoilerFootball! @PurdueSports @bigten @SpecialOlympics #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/F0sKJARKl3
— Allstate Wuerffel Trophy (@WuerffelTrophy) October 3, 2022
The award was named after Danny Wuerffel, a 1996 National Championship-winning quarterback of the Florida Gators who is renowned for his commitment to service and leadership. The Wuerffel Trophy is the premier major college football award that places the majority of its voting emphasis on community service.
Last season, quarterback Isaiah Sanders of Stanford was announced as the 2021 recipient of the Wuerffel Trophy. O'Connell was among 115 players named to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list back in August.
“I continue to be impressed with the number of college football players who are achieving on the field and still dedicating time to make a positive impact in their community,” Wuerffel said in a release. “The student-athletes on this watch list are positively impacting organizations throughout the country.”
O'Connell has completed 113 of his 174 pass attempts for 1,199 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions so far this season through five weeks. He leads the Big Ten Conference with an average of 299.8 passing yards per game.
The starting signal-caller was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 by the league’s coaches and media, Associated Press, Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele. O'Connell was also named Academic All-Big Ten and received the National Football Foundation Drew Brees Mental Toughness Award.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 1, with the finalists being named on Nov. 22. The formal announcement of the 2022 recipient is scheduled to be made on Dec. 8, and the presentation of the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy will take place on Feb. 24, 2023.
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.