The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award preseason watch list named UCLA starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava and former Bruins’ quarterback commit and recently named Tennessee Volunteers starter, Joey Aguilar.
According to the watch list press release, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given to the best upperclassman quarterback who is on track to graduate with the rest of his peers. The award named 58 of the top quarterbacks in college football. With the comparisons between Aguilar and Iamaleava, the award also seems to be a great way to gauge which quarterback performed better this season.
Aguilar was recently named the starting quarterback for the Vols after winning a vigorous quarterback competition on Sunday. He was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist, according to the Vols.
According to UCLA, Iamaleava has been named to five preseason award watchlists: the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp of the Year Award, Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, Polynesian Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Of course, the two quarterbacks will be competing with 56 others quarterbacks to earn the award, but it should add a bit of incentive for the two. Aguilar can prove that he was better than Iamaleava for the Vols and Iamaleava can prove that he didn’t need the Vols as he brought the Bruins back to relevance.
According to the award’s site, the list will be narrowed to semifinalists and finalists as the season continues until the winner is named and celebrated at the Golden Arm Award ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore in December.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Current and former UCLA quarterbacks named to prominent QB award watch list
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
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