The annual competition to select the top college quarterback in the nation has been narrowed from an original field of 47 to five finalists for the 2020 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award presented by A. O. Smith.
Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the top upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class.
Top 5 Golden Arm Award Candidates:
- Ian Book, Notre Dame, 181 completions in 286 attempts for 2382 yards, 86.1 QB rating
- Justin Fields, Ohio State, 107 completions in 137 attempts for 1407 yards, 94.8 QB rating
- Mac Jones, Alabama, 217 completions in 284 attempts for 3,321 yards, 96.0 QB rating
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, 173 completions in 250 attempts for 2,431 yards, 85.1 QB rating
- Kyle Trask, Florida, 259 completions in 369 attempts for 3,717 yards, 90.3 QB rating
The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the distinguished Golden Arm Award Selection Committee, a group of prominent football journalists, former coaches and players, general managers, commentators, announcers, and other former award recipients.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Education Foundation's charitable mission is to promote the game of football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes. The award acknowledges performance on the field, but it goes beyond completion percentage and touchdown strikes. The award values character, citizenship, integrity and those who honor the game.
In addition to honoring the top college quarterback, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., has awarded more than $750,000 in scholarships to scholar-athletes from local area high schools both in Maryland and Kentucky. During one of the most unprecedented years of youth and college athletics, the Foundation remains committed to providing scholarships and financial aid to deserving athletes through 2020.
The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.
Sharing a tradition of innovation with Johnny Unitas, who invented football’s two-minute drill, A. O. Smith has been an innovator in its industry for more than a century. A. O. Smith offers its customers an additional advantage in that the company designs, builds, distributes and supports the world’s broadest and deepest line of residential and commercial water heaters, as well as commercial boilers. This single-source concept simplifies ordering, installation and service and is backed by 80 years of research and innovation.
To learn more about the Golden Arm Award, please visit: Golden Arm Foundation or Golden Arm Award. Additionally, please follow the conversation throughout the college football season on Twitter and use the hashtags #GoldenArmAward and #InnovationLeaders.
Golden Arm Award Season Timeline
December 19, 2020
Conference Championship Games
December 21, 2020
2020 Golden Arm Award Winner announcement
*Subject to change
