Ryan Switzer Earns 2013 CFPA Punt Returner Trophy
Chapel Hill, NC (PRWEB) February 27, 2014 -- North Carolina return specialist Ryan Switzer earned the 2013 CFPA Punt Returner Trophy. Switzer is the third Tar Heel to earn College Football Performance Awards honors, following Giovani Bernard (2012) and Zach Brown (2011).
Switzer finished the 2013 season with 24 punt returns for 502 yards and five touchdowns.
"It's a dream come true to receive this award," said Switzer. "It's a big trophy, and I'm proud to have it. The crazy thing is it's only my freshman year."
Dating back to 2008, Switzer is the ninth FBS punt return specialist to earn CFPA honors. Previous winners include: Javier Arenas (Alabama), Damian Williams (USC), Greg Reid (Florida State), Cliff Harris (Oregon), Patrick Peterson (LSU), Joe Adams (Arkansas), Tyrann Mathieu (LSU), and Giovani Bernard (North Carolina).
Switzer will be presented the 2013 CFPA Punt Returner Trophy at the 2014 North Carolina Tar Heels Spring Game on Saturday, April 12, 2014.
2013 CFPA Wide Receiver Trophy:
Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans earned the 2013 CFPA Wide Receiver Trophy. Evans will be presented the award during the Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss basketball game on Saturday, March 1, 2014 in College Station, Texas.
"It's a great honor, and I'm very excited," said Evans. "I'm a big hoops fan. It's great to go back and receive this at a basketball game in front of the 12th Man."
Evans is the fourth Aggie to earn CFPA honors, following Von Miller (2010), Randy Bullock (2011), and Johnny Manziel (2012).
2013 CFPA FCS Punt Returner Award:
Lamar return specialist Kevin Johnson earned the 2013 CFPA FCS Punt Returner Award. Johnson finished the 2013 season with twelve punt returns for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get recognized by the CFPA. It's absolutely awesome," said Johnson. "Any punters looking to win the CFPA Punter Award next season, don't kick to #11."
"A big congratulations to my fellow CFPA winner at punt returner, Ryan Switzer," added Johnson. "I got a chance to watch him this year. That guy is fearless."
Three OVC Players Earn 2013 CFPA FCS Awards:
Three Ohio Valley Conference players earned CFPA FCS Awards for the 2013 season. Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo earned the 2013 CFPA FCS Quarterback Award, while wide receiver Erik Lora earned the 2013 CFPA FCS Elite Wide Receiver Award.
"It's an honor. It really goes down as credit to all the hard work we put in this offseason," said Garoppolo. "It's a stepping stone in the direction I want to go towards the NFL."
Tennessee State strong safety Daniel Fitzpatrick earned the 2013 CFPA FCS Defensive Back Award. Fitzpatrick finished the 2013 season with 75 tackles, eight interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three touchdowns.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be named the defensive back of the year by College Football Performance Awards," said Fitzpatrick. "CFPA has some household names; I watch guys like Earl Thomas and Patrick Peterson and try to take parts of their game to make me a better player."
CFPA Trophy Design:
Veteran design artist Seth Fine recently co-presented Miami punter Pat O'Donnell with the 2013 CFPA Punter Trophy.
"Creating the world's largest, highest quality football award was one of the most exciting artistic challenges of my professional career," said Fine. "It is an absolute honor to present the CFPA Trophy, work with a visionary like CFPA Executive Director Brad Smith, and bring future NFL stars to tears."
About College Football Performance Awards:
The goal of College Football Performance Awards is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams. Twenty-one CFPA winners have been first-round NFL Draft selections.
Brad Smith, College Football Performance Awards, http://www.collegefootballperformance.com, +1 5708541252, [email protected]
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