Ole Miss’ Evan Engram Named to Mackey Award Watch List

Engram Named to Mackey Award watch list. Hottytoddy.com file photo

Ole Miss junior Evan Engram has been recognized as one of the nation’s top returning tight ends, as he was named to the 2015 John Mackey Award preseason watch list Wednesday.

The John Mackey Award has been given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end since 2000. Engram is one of 33 players on this year’s watch list, including six from the Southeastern Conference. He was a semifinalist for the award last year.

A native of Powder Springs, Georgia, Engram has established himself as one of the nation’s top receiving tight ends through his first two years of college with 59 career catches for 930 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he was a second team All-America pick by Sports Illustrated and a unanimous All-SEC first team selection after he led SEC tight ends with 662 receiving yards (Ole Miss TE record) and led the nation’s tight ends with 17.4 yards per catch. He was a second team All-SEC pick in 2013 when he set an Ole Miss freshman tight end record with three TDs on 21 catches for 268 yards.

In his career, Engram ranks top four in Ole Miss history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end.

Other preseason honors for him this summer include All-America first team (Phil Steele, Lindy’s, The Kickoff, CFB Matrix) and second team (Sporting News, Athlon), as well as All-SEC first team (Phil Steele, CFB Matrix, Lindy’s).

The award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2015 John Mackey recipient will be announced Dec. 9, 2015 and then presented live on Dec. 10, 2015 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU. Other key dates include the announcement of the 2015 Mackey Midseason Watch List on Oct. 12, 2015, the 2015 Mackey semifinalists on Nov. 16, 2015 and the 2015 Mackey finalists on Nov. 24, 2015. All future announcements can be found at www.johnmackeyaward.com.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The John Mackey Award presented since 2000, recognizes thirteen alumni to have played in the NFL: two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham (‘01), 2006 Super Bowl Champion Dallas Clark (‘02), Kellen Winslow II (‘03), two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (‘04) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Marcedes Lewis (‘05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2008 Super Bowl Champion Matt Spaeth (‘06) of the of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fred Davis (‘07), Chase Coffman (‘08) of the Tennessee Titans, D.J. Williams (‘10),  Dwayne Allen (’11) of the Indianapolis Colts, Tyler Eifert (’12)  of the Cincinnati Bengals, Austin Seferian-Jenkins (’13) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2014 John Mackey Award recipient Nick O’Leary of the Buffalo Bills.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics