TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) announced the 2023 Player of the Year Award Watch List on Tuesday that includes Tuskegee football players Zelly Aldridge, Jeremy Dees, and Ryan Duff. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University.

Named a First Team All-SIAC selection as he played in all 11 games of his first season at Tuskegee after transferring from the University of North Alabama, Aldridge finished the season fourth on the team with 50 tackles (34 solo, 16 assist), which included 1.0 tackles for loss, to go along with a team-best two interceptions, while adding seven pass breakups and forced fumble on the year. The safety also earned SIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors during week three in a win over West Alabama.

Dees finished third on the team in total tackles with 53, including 26 solos and 27 assisted. The defensive lineman also accounted for 9.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, a pair of quarterback hurries and a forced fumble as a junior in 2022. The senior was also listed as a preseason First Team All-SIAC defender last month.

Duff, a third-year starter as a punter, boasted numbers of 42.9-yard average on 41 kicks for 1,760 yards in 2022 to rank first in yards per punt in the SIAC. The specialist also had 14 punts of 50+ yards, including a long of 61 and accumulated five games of over 150 yards punting on the year. Duff was also named a Preseason First Team All-SIAC member along with being named a BOXTOROW Preseason All-American.

The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list may be made as the 2023 season progresses. The finalists and the winner will be chosen by a Selection Committee.

The BCHOF panel will announce four finalists after the 2023 season. The Black College Football Player of the Year Award winner will receive the Deacon Jones Trophy during halftime of the 2024 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl. The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24 in New Orleans, LA and will be broadcast live on NFL Network.

Former North Carolina A&T and NFL running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Award in 2016; Bowie State quarterback Amir Hall was the 2017 and 2018 recipient; former Tennessee State and NFL WR Chris Rowland was the 2019 recipient; former Alabama A&M QB Aqeel Glass was the recipient of the Spring 2021 and 2021 Fall award; and former Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders was the recipient in 2022.

About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by African American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 90 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame is presented annually by The Shack Harris & Doug Williams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
 
The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) will have a permanent home at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF) to tell its story. Thirty-four members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – roughly 10% of the players enshrined in Canton – attended an HBCU. All but two (Len Ford and Marion Motley, who briefly attended an HBCU before transferring to another college) are also members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. The two organizations announced a partnership in 2016 and are working together on joint programs and events, including: hosting future annual BCFHOF induction ceremonies at Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls; expanded educational programming and special events at the Pro Football Hall of Fame during Black History Month; a traveling exhibition; and post-graduate internship opportunities for graduates of HBCUs.
 
The partnership also includes the BCFHOF Classic held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and a major exhibition inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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