Jody Victor: The Greater Augusta Sports Council announced June 12 their pre-season watch list for the 2008 Ray Guy Award, which identifies the nation's top collegiate punter. The pre-season list is comprised of the top non-graduating finalists from the previous year. The 2008 pre-season list is headed up by Cincinnati Bearcat punter Kevin Huber, who was a Ray Guy Award top-3 finalist last year.

Former Georgia Tech punter Durant Brooks won the award in 2007. Brooks was the only punter selected in the 2008 NFL draft, where he was taken in the sixth round by the Washington Redskins. He looks to follow the success of 2006 and 2004 winner Daniel Sepulveda (Baylor), who is making a name for himself with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 2005 winner Ryan Plackemeier (Wake Forest) of the Seatle Seahawks.

A. J. Trapasso (Ohio State) - was recognized in 2007 as the Big Ten special-teams player of the week after the Buckeyes played Michigan State. 19 of his 50 punts were downed inside the 20, his net punting average was 38.46 yards, and 66% of his punts could not be returned. He finished the season with 2,049 punting yards.

The Ray Guy Award watch-list will be expanded after the start of the season. The list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists early in November. The national voting body will then vote for the top three finalists, who will be announced in late November. The winner will be announced live during the ESPNU-Home Depot College Football awards show on December 11, 2008.

GO BUCKS!!!

Jody Victor

Jody Victor: Twenty-six of the nation's top senior college quarterbacks have made the first cut to be considered for the 2008 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented by Transamerica Insurance and Investment Group, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior collegiate quarterback, by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. This prestigious award bears the name of who many refer to as the finest quarterback to ever play the game of football. Established in 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has previously honored 20 outstanding young men.

Among that prestigious group of quarterbacks is Ohio State's own Todd Boeckman. The award takes into consideration his impressive collegiate career to this point, as well as his off-the-field values of good character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, and strong leadership qualities.

The 2008 winner will be presented with the award on December 5th at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility, in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.

Go Bucks!

Jody Victor

Jody Victor: Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie is one of three male finalists for the 2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year award, announced by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine. He finished as second runner-up for the male Sports Scholar of the Year award, the first time an Ohio State student-athlete has been a finalist since the national awards program began 15 years ago.

A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2007 for the Big Ten champions, Robiskie led the Buckeyes in receiving with 55 carches for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. A first team Academic All-American, the junior from Cleveland holds a 3.44 grade-point average in marketing.

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education established the Sports Scholars Awards in 1992 to honor the legendary Arthur Ashe Jr. and his commitment to social justice, education and sports.  Each year, the nation's colleges and universities nominate their outstanding minority student-athletes and the winning top male and female student-athletes are profiled in a special issue.

The male winner from more than 500 nominees nationwide was Hampton football senior Marcus Dixon. First runner-up was Cliff Hammonds, a senior basketball and track performer form Clemson. China-born tennis standout Momei Qu of Illinois was the female winner. Other female finalists were Sarah-Jo Lawrence (basketball, George Washinton) and Jessica Young (soccer, UMBC).

Go Bucks!!

Jody Victor

Jody Victor: Miles Avery, Ohio State men's gymnastics head coach and personal coach for Paul and Morgan Hamm and Blaine Wilson, was awarded the 2008 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year honor after a vote by his peers at the 2008 VISA Championships last weekend in Houston.

Aside from coaching the Buckeyes to their 22nd-consecutive Top 3 finish in the Big Ten in 2008, Avery spent the year working to get the Hamm twins back to world-class caliber after they took two and a half years off from the sport to finish their undergraduate degrees at Ohio State.

A native of Philadelphia, Avery served as an assistant coach for the US Olympic Team in 1996, 200 and 2004. Those squads posted the US's highest finishes in a full, non-boycotted Olympics, including garnering a team silver medal in Athens in 2004. Three members of the 2004 Olympic Team, Paul and Morgan Hamm and Wilson, as well as team alternate and former Buckeye Raj Bhavsar (2000-03), trained with Aver in Columbus leading up to the Games. Paul went on to claim the all-around title, the first US male in history to do so.

Congratulations! Go Bucks!!

Jody Victor