BALTIMORE, MD. (August 14, 2018) – The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the Watch List for the 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® Presented by A. O. Smith. Named after one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, the prestigious award has been presented annually since 1987 to the nation’s top college quarterback.

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

It was recently announced that A. O. Smith will be presenting the 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®, which will be hosted on December 7 at the Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel & The Grand. Proceeds from the event help support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, which provides assistance to underprivileged and deserving student-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.

“A. O. Smith has a legacy of innovation and performance in the water heating and water treatment industries, much like Johnny Unitas did on the football field,” said Jeff Storie, A. O. Smith’s director of marketing. “Both of these iconic names have been around for decades and share many of each other’s values. For A. O. Smith, partnering with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and the Golden Arm Award makes perfect sense. We’re excited to tie our own efforts to further education in our trade with the Foundation’s efforts to help further the education of youths interested in football around the country.”

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
– 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

Past standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011); Marcus Mariota (University of Oregon, 2014); Connor Cook (Michigan State, 2015); Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016) and the 2017 winner, Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State).

The hashtag #InnovationLeaders will be visible on all Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation and Golden Arm Award® advertising, marketing, social media, website, and public relations materials and represents the commitment to always being leaders through innovation. Branded content and advertising will promote the award along with A. O. Smith’s products and services.

Other sponsors of the Golden Arm Award Presented by A. O. Smith Corporation include: MedStar Sports Medicine, The Babe Ruth Museum, Cannonball Moments, Century Engineering, Comcast, Dunbar Armored, Dunbar Security Solutions, Dunbar Protective Services, The Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & The Grand, Haddock Investments, Harvey Agency, HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., PSAV, Panini, TTI, TRAY, The Scott Garceau Show, SILKS, Wilson Sporting Goods, and ZBest Executive & Global Transportation Services.

About A. O. Smith
A. O. Smith Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of residential and commercial water heaters as well as water treatment products. A. O. Smith offers its customers an additional competitive advantage in that the company designs, builds, distributes and supports the world’s broadest and deepest line of residential and commercial water heaters, commercial boilers, and water treatment products. This single source concept simplifies ordering, installation and service and is backed by 80 years of research and innovation. For the most up-to-date news, like A. O. Smith on Facebook, follow on Twitter and visit http://www.hotwater.com/.

To learn more about the Golden Arm Award, please visit: Golden Arm Foundation or Golden Arm Award. Additionally, please follow the conversation throughout the season on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and use the hashtags #GoldenArmAward and #InnovationLeaders.