The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sweat named Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist
11.21.2023 | Football
Texas DL T’Vondre Sweat was named a semifinalist for the award honoring the nation’s top player in college football.
DALLAS – No. 7 Texas Football senior defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat was named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) announced on Tuesday.
The Walter Camp is the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade and is presented annually to college football's player of the year. It has been awarded to a Longhorn on three occasions (Ricky Williams, 1998; Colt McCoy, 2008-09).
Sweat has played in all 11 games with six starts for the Longhorns this season. He has established career highs with 36 tackles, 16 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while also breaking up two passes. Sweat has been at the forefront of Texas' stellar defensive line, helping the Longhorns hold seven opponents to fewer the 100 yards rushing this season, including each of the last five games – the longest streak for Texas since 2009. Sweat and the Texas defense lead the nation in third-down defense (26.6%), rank fourth in rushing defense (82.7 ypg) and fifth in red zone defense (67.7%). The Longhorns are also 16th in scoring defense (18.2 ppg) and 31st in first downs defense (196). Those numbers lead the Big 12 while also leading in sacks (29) and ranking second in team tackles for loss (75).
In UT's last game, the defense limited Iowa State to nine rushing yards on 21 carries, the fewest allowed by Texas in a Big 12 game since 2011. Against Kansas State, the Wildcats entered the contest as the No. 5 rushing team in the country at 226.0 ypg but were held to just 30 yards on 29 carries (1.03 ypc) by the Longhorns. In the Texas win at No. 3 Alabama, the defense posted five sacks in the game, the most surrendered by the Crimson Tide since 2021 (at Auburn) and the most at home since 2015 (Tennessee). The five sacks were the most for a non-conference foe at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2012 (6, Western Kentucky).
The native of Huntsville, Texas is one of 10 semifinalists named for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Sweat has also been named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. The three finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and the 57th recipient of the Walter Camp Player of Year award will be announced on ESPN's College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 7.
Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp - a former Yale University athlete and football coach - is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
