Toledo senior quarterback Logan Woodside was one of 10 student-athletes who were named finalists for the 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award yesterday.
The award honors the top quarterback from all divisions for his accomplishments both on and off the field.
He is the only quarterback from the Mid-American Conference to make the list.
Woodside leads the Mid-American Conference in passing yards (286.9 per game) and passing efficiency (171.3) for the 7-1 Rockets this season. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns against just two interceptions. For his career, Woodside has thrown for 8,927 passing yards and needs 299 more yards to pass Bruce Gradkowski (9,225 yards from 2002-05) as Toledo’s all-time leader.
Woodside also needs two touchdown passes to pass Gradkowski (85 TD passes) as the Rockets’ career leader in that category.
Last year, Woodside shattered nearly every Toledo passing record in the books. He led the nation with 45 touchdown passes, 16 more than the previous best in Rocket history. He connected on 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,129 yards, an average of more than 317 yards per contest and another school record. He graduated with a 3.4 grade point average in marketing last December and is working on his master’s degree.
Woodside is also a candidate for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation’s player of the year; the Davey O’Brien Award, which honors the nation’s top quarterback; and the Manning Award, another honor given to the nation’s top quarterback following the bowl season.
The 30th anniversary presentation of the Golden Arm Award will be held Friday, Dec. 8, at the Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & Grand.
The award is named for Johnny Unitas, an 18-year veteran of the NFL who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958.
2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Finalists
J. T. Barrett, Ohio State
Riley Ferguson, Memphis
Ryan Finley, NC State
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
Quinton Flowers, South Florida
Kenny Hill, TCU
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Trace McSorley, Penn State
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Logan Woodside, Toledo
Standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award include Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011); Marcus Mariota (Oregon, 2014); Connor Cook (Michigan State, 2015); and Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016).
