STILLWATER – Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders is one of 30 players listed on the 2021 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List, announced Tuesday by the Davey O’Brien Foundation.

Sanders, who has already been named as one of the top 25 quarterbacks for 2021 by the Sporting News, is one of four Big 12 players on the list for the award, which is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. The award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O’Brien’s enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics.

A junior from Denton, Texas, Sanders is an exciting talent who finished 2020 as the Cheez-It Bowl Most Valuable Player after passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in OSU’s 37-34 win over No. 18 Miami.

On the year, Sanders finished 2020 ranked second in the Big 12 with 8.13 yards per pass attempt and third in the conference with a passing efficiency of 143.2. He also finished among the top five in the conference in several other categories, including passing touchdowns (14), total offense per game (252.9), completion percentage (62.8), passing yards (2,007), passing yards per game (223) and yards per completion (12.95). He was also named an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the league’s head coaches.

Sanders also enjoyed a record-setting freshman campaign in 2019, as he was voted the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after setting an OSU freshman record by passing for 2,065 yards. His 4,072 career passing yards after his sophomore year rank as the second-most ever for an OSU sophomore, trailing only the 4,623 Mason Rudolph tallied from 2014-15.

Compiled by a subset of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, this year’s watch list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2021 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution.

A total of sixteen semifinalists for the award will be named on November 8, and three finalists will be named two weeks later on November 22. The 2021 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on December 9 during The Home Depot College Football Awards. Fan voting will again play a role in the selection process. The 45th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner is scheduled for February 21, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas.