Ole Miss QB Ta’amu named to Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been selected to the Watch List for the 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award presented by A.O. Smith.

The award, named after one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, has been presented annually since 1987 to the nation’s top collegiate quarterback.

Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class. In order to be considered for the award, the following criteria must be met: character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities and athletic accomplishments.

In 2017, Ta’amu completed 115-of-173 passes for 1,682 yards, 11 touchdowns and only a mere four interceptions.  He played in eight games for Ole Miss last season and started the final five.

Ta’amu threw for 365 or more yards in each game of his first three starts, and he went on to become the only QB in Rebels’ history to throw for 350 yards or more in back-to-back SEC games. The Pearl City, Hawaii, native also led the Rebels to a 3-1 record in the final month of the season–including a 31-28 Egg Bowl victory over in-state rival Mississippi State in Starkville.

Here is the complete Watch List for the 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award:

2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List

Jake Bentley, South Carolina
David Blough, Purdue
Ross Bowers, Cal
Jake Browning, Washington
Kelly Bryant, Clemson
K.J. Carta-Samuels, Colorado State
Christian Chapman, San Diego State
Keller Chryst, Tennessee
Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State
Eric Dungey, Syracuse
A.J. Erdely, UAB
Ryan Finley, NC State
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
Ty Gangi, Nevada
Will Grier, West Virginia
Justice Hansen, Arkansas State
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin
Tyler Huntley, Utah
Tyree Jackson, Buffalo
Daniel Jones, Duke
Kyle Kempt, Iowa State
Hasaan Klugh, UTEP
Brian Lewerke, Michigan State
Drew Lock, Missouri
Jake Luton, Oregon State
Trace McSorley, Penn State
Marcus McMaryion, Fresno State
McKenzie Milton, UCF
Gardner Minshew, Washington State
Steven Montez, Colorado
Hayden Moore, Cincinnati
James Morgan, FIU
Shea Patterson, Michigan
Bryce Perkins, Virginia
Gus Ragland, Miami of Ohio
Malik Rosier, Miami
Brett Rypien, Boise State
Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt
J’Mar Smith, Louisiana Tech
Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss
Khalil Tate, Arizona
Alex Thomson, Marshall
Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
Brady White, Memphis
Manny Wilkins, Arizona State
Brandon Wimbush, Notre Dame

Season Opener

Ole Miss kicks off the season September 1, 2018 against Texas Tech in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.