Rhodes selected to Jerry Rice Award Watch List

William and Mary freshman linebacker Luke Rhodes has been added to the 2012 Jerry Rice Award Watch List.

The selection puts Rhodes among 16 of the top freshmen players in the country, adding further recognition to the linebacker's outstanding first season.

Named after the NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, a star receiver at Mississippi Valley State, the award goes to the top freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division 1-AA. Following the completion of the regular season, a national panel of sports journalists, sports information and media relations directors and other designated individuals will select the prize-winner from a final field of 20 athletes.

The current list consists of six quarterbacks, four linebackers, three running backs, one wide receiver, one all-purpose player and one strong safety. The winner will be announced at the Football Championship Subdivision national banquet to be held on Monday, Dec. 17, in Philadelphia.

Rhodes leads William and Mary in tackles with 41 and tackles for loss with 3.5. The Hollidaysburg, Pa., native is fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association in tackles per game with 8.2 and has three pass breakups and a forced fumble in the first five games.

Rhodes kicked off his collegiate career with an impressive opener against Maryland, recording 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. The Tribe middle linebacker also snagged Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honors after last week's eight-tackle performance in a 35-3 win over Georgia State.

The College of William and Mary is a state-supported, coeducational liberal arts institution with an enrollment of 6,071 undergraduate and 2,129 graduate students. Its main campus is set on 1,200 acres in downtown Williamsburg with other campuses in Gloucester Point and Washington, D.C. The college was chartered on Feb. 8, 1693, by King William III and Queen Mary II of England. It is the second oldest college in America.

For more information about the College of William and Mary, visit wm.edu.

Filed under: SPORTS