COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four Mountain West football players are among the 20 semifinalists for the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, as announced Tuesday.

Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Boise State senior defensive end Ahmed Hassanein, Colorado State graduate offensive lineman Jacob Gardner, Hawai‘i senior linebacker Logan Taylor and UNLV senior linebacker Jackson Woodard represent the MW on the list.

With four of the 20 semifinalists, the Mountain West is second only to the SEC’s six on the list.

The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.

Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, Dec. 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2025.

Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalists (MW selections)
Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DE, Boise State
Jacob Gardner, Gr., OL, Colorado State
Logan Taylor, Sr., LB, Hawai’i
Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV