South Carolina Gamecock's Alex Huntley Named to Man of the Year Award Watch List

Alex Joyce | 2 Hours Ago

South Carolina defensive tackle Alex Huntley (95) looks on during a college football game against Missouri at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 21, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. / Abigail Landwehr/Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been praised for their play on the field through four games on the year, but it's the off the field recognition that may mean just as much. South Carolina's Alex Huntley has been named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award Watch List.

The award goes to a player who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field, per the award's website. This is the eighth year the award will be given out at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Huntley is one of 52 players on the list, which will select semifinalists on October 22nd and finalists on December 16, before the award presents on February 12, 2025. The redshirt senior and permanent team captain out of Blythewood, S.C. is a regular on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He has also been a force for the Gamecocks since being a freshman All-SEC selection in 2021.

Having great players is one thing, but having great leaders and role models is what builds a winning culture on and off the field. Jason Witten, one of the best tight ends in NFL history, exemplified what it meant to be a leader on and off the field. The former two time All-Pro and eight time pro bowler was named the NFL's 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year after not only being a stellar player on the field, but a true role model for his community. Witten was the spokesperson for the Dallas Cowboy's "NFL Play 60" program which encouraged kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to reverse childhood obesity.

Witten also had his own chartible foundation called "SCORE" which funded several building projects in both Texas and his native Tennessee. He was also passionate about stopping domestic violence. Witten's JWSF Scorekeepers program used male mentors to work with children living in women's shelters to give them a positive male role model.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will receive a $10,000 donation to the school's scholarship fund in the name of the winner. Huntley's efforts on the field, but even more importantly, off the field earns him a spot on this watch list highlighting so many leaders around the country.

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