Jordan Shelley-Smith and Fish Smithson Named To 2015 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Wuerffel Trophy announced its watch list of 80 players from college football’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Wednesday morning, with Kansas players Jordan Shelley-Smith and Fish Smithson each being honored.
 
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach Florida.  Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
 
Shelley-Smith, a junior offensive lineman from Waco, Texas, is a community service leader for the Jayhawks. Shelley-Smith coordinates KU football’s weekly strength and conditioning workouts with the local Special Olympians and participates in all of the Jayhawks’ other community service projects. Additionally, he is a two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Athletics Directors Honor Roll, while majoring in management and leadership.
 
On the field, Shelley-Smith made the move to offensive line from tight end during the 2014 fall camp. He saw action in all 12 games for KU in 2014, including one start at right tackle in KU’s win over Iowa State.
 
Smithson, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland, is also active in the community. He took a lead role in KU’s Train Like a Jayhawk Clinic for elementary students and he also participated as KU teamed up with Just Foods to feed the homeless over Easter Weekend. Smithson has visited Lawrence elementary schools to read to the students and has taken part in KU football’s clinics with Special Olympians. In the classroom, Smithson was recently named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll for the spring 2015 semester, while working towards his degree in sport management.
 
On the field, Smithson is KU’s leading returning tackler from a season ago as he collected 49 total stops, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one pass breakup from his safety position.  
 
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.  
 
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