Football’s Kelly Named Finalist For Senior CLASS Award, Wuerffel Trophy
TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly has been named a 2014 finalist for both the Senior CLASS Award and the Wuerffel Trophy, both organizations announced Tuesday.
Kelly is one of 12 finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, a national award that honors the college football player who best exhibits exemplary community service, and one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Kelly’s 2014 Accolades
Wuerffel Trophy finalist
Senior CLASS Award finalist
Capital One Academic All-District VIII Team
NFF National Scholar-Athlete
William V. Campbell Trophy finalist
Manning Award watch list
Walter Camp Player of the Year preseason watch list
Davey O’Brien Award watch list (nation’s most outstanding quarterback)
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® (charitable involvement and community service contributions)
Maxwell Award watch list (America's College Player of the Year)
Kelly’s School Records
First in average total offense with 266.7 yards per game
First in career rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,396
Third in career total offense with 9,335 yards
Third in career touchdown passes with 69
Third in career passing completions with 638
Third in career points responsible for with 492
Fourth in career passing attempts with 1,000
Fourth in career passing yards with 7,939
Wuerffel Trophy
Student-athletes are nominated for the Wuerffel Trophy by their respective university or college sports information director or football liaison. A committee, which includes the Wuerffel Trophy national directors, selection committee members and past winners, will vote on the finalists later this month, and the winner will be formally announced on Dec. 9, 2014. The 2014 Wuerffel Trophy will be presented to the winner at the All Sports Association’s 46th Annual Awards Banquet on Feb. 13, 2015, in Fort Walton Beach.
Senior CLASS Award
Finalists for the Senior CLASS Award were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through Dec. 15. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January.
Kelly was recently named a member of the Capital One Academic All-District VIII Team and the 2014 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Class, as well as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is college football's premier scholar-athlete award. He was also nominated to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® in August for the second consecutive season, which honors players whose charitable involvement and community service contributions stand out among all other student-athletes participating in the sport. In addition, he was tabbed as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the field, and have notable achievement in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Kelly, a four-year letterwinner from Eagle, Idaho, earned 2013 Second Team All-Pac-12 recognition and is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Studies in May 2014 and is currently enrolled in a Master’s of Legal Studies program focusing on Sports Law and Business that combines classes from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law and the W.P. Carey School of Business. He was named to the conference’s All-Academic Second Team in 2013 and is a six-time Scholar Baller, which each semester honors student-athletes who achieve over a 3.0 GPA.
A team captain and a member of the team’s Leadership Council for the second consecutive season, Kelly is a very active member of the university and the Phoenix Valley. He is heavily involved in the Scholar Baller leadership and outreach program, where he helps develop curriculum, deliver, teach and mentor students at high schools around the community centered around the importance of academics, developing championship character and integrity, and creating a strong sense of self, among other things. Kelly has also been instrumental in influencing his teammates to become more involved in community service and outreach events.
Kelly has passed for 1,234 yards and 12 touchdowns, and also rushed for 248 yards and three scores, in six starts in 2014. He has led the Sun Devils to 24 wins since 2012 and three consecutive bowl-eligible seasons with at least eight victories. His 9,335 yards of total offense ranks as the third most in school history, and he has amassed 7,939 career passing yards and has 69 career touchdowns, fourth and third in ASU annals, respectively, in 33 career starts. His 82 total touchdowns, including 13 rushing, is the third-highest total among all ASU quarterbacks and he is just the second Sun Devil in school history to have multiple seasons with 3,000-plus passing yards. He ranks third in school history with 638 career completions and he is ASU’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,396.