Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas running back Knile Davis and quarterback Tyler Wilson and Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin have been named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list.

Here’s more on Davis and Wilson from the UA:

Davis has been tabbed as a preseason first-team All-SEC running back by the conference’s coaches and media and also was named to the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award watch lists. He was a first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press in 2010, when he led all SEC running backs with 1,322 yards on the ground, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. The junior from Missouri City, Texas, was named to numerous preseason All-America and All-SEC teams as well as watch lists for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp awards in 2011 before suffering an injury during a preseason scrimmage that forced him to miss the entire season. In 2010, his average of 101.7 rushing yards per game ranked second in the SEC and 16th in the NCAA. His 6.48 yards per rushing attempt was the highest in the NCAA among running backs that carried the ball at least 200 times and ranked as the fifth-highest single-season average at Arkansas. He ended the season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and his 157.8 rushing yards per game in November made him the only SEC player to average 100 yards per game on the ground in the season’s final full month.

Wilson was the first-team quarterback on the coaches’ and media preseason All-SEC teams and has been named to watch lists for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards this preseason. He also was included on the Manning Award Watch List after being a finalist last year. Last season he became the only Razorback in school history to be named first-team All-SEC quarterback, an honor he earned after leading Arkansas to a school-record-tying 11 wins in his first season as a starter. The senior from Greenwood, Ark., holds nine school records, including career completion percentage, and has produced three of the top-five single-game completions marks in school history. He also ranks in the top 10 in school history in career touchdown passes, career pass completions and career pass attempts. He finished the 2011 season 277-of-438 passing for 3,638 yards, leading the SEC with an average of 279.8 per game, and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions, becoming just the second Razorback to pass for 3,000 yards in a season and leading the SEC with the eighth-highest single-season passing yards total in conference history. He also led the SEC in total offense per game, completions and pass efficiency rating. Wilson’s attempt-to-interceptions ratio of 1:73 was the third-best in SEC history with a minimum of 300 attempts and the fourth-best in conference history with a minimum of 200 attempts.

Here’s background on Aplin, courtesy ASU:

Aplin, who was selected as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year earlier this week, becomes the first player in the history of ASU football to be named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award.

The Walter Camp Award Watch List is the latest to recognize Aplin, who is also on the Davey O’Brien Watch list, Manning Award Watch List and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List heading into the 2012 season.

As a junior, Aplin completed 63.9 percent (304-of-476) of his passes for 3,588 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. He also led the Red Wolves in rushing with 588 yards and 10 touchdowns. Arkansas State won the Sun Belt Championship with a perfect 8-0 league mark while finishing 10-3 overall.  Aplin was also the 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year and is a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference first-team selection.

Semifinalists for the award will be announced in mid-November.