Cook Selected Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalist
10/22/2024 12:00:00 PM | Football
DALLAS – University of Missouri graduate student quarterback Brady Cook has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the eighth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, the organization announced Tuesday.
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Cook, a 6-2, 212-pound St. Louis, Missouri, native became just the fifth Tiger to be tabbed a three-time team captain. In 41 career games, 34 starts, he's completed 675-of-1,024 (.659) passes for 8,023 yards with 45 touchdowns and rushed 323 times for 1,113 yards (3.45) and 19 scores. Cook currently ranks second all-time on Mizzou's chart for career passing efficiency (143.50), third in 200-yard passing games (24), fourth in passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns.
But he doesn't just lead on the football field, he leads in the classroom as well, having already obtained two degrees from the University. Cook was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Mizzou's Trulaske College of Business, garnering a business administration degree and certificate in finance and investments in December 2022. The 2023 SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year also added a master's degree in business administration with a certificate in financial management from the University in May 2024. Earlier this season, Cook was tabbed a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy.
In what free time he does have, Cook volunteers his time with Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, and Andrew's Hugs Foundation. Additionally, he makes numerous visits to local schools within the Columbia Public School system and Boone Children's Hospital.
Nineteen seniors and one junior make up the list. Among conferences, the SEC led the way with six selections, while the Mountain West had four. The Big Ten had three selections, while the ACC, American Athletic Conference and Big 12 had two each. The Pac-12 had one semifinalist.
The full list of semifinalists includes: Justin Barron (Syracuse), Dylan Black (Oregon State), Brady Cook (Missouri), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Ajani Cornelius (Oregon), Luke Deal (Auburn), Jacob Gardner (Colorado State), Ahmed Hassanein (Boise State), Seth Henigan (Memphis), Isaiah Jacobs (UAB), Jake Majors (Texas), Bru McCoy (Tennessee), Devin Neal (Kansas), Kaimon Rucker (North Carolina), Cody Simon (Ohio State), Logan Taylor (Hawai'i), Dante Trader, Jr. (Maryland), Jalon Walker (Georgia), J.J. Weaver (Kentucky) and Jackson Woodard (UNLV).
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 12, 2025.
"I'm honored to announce the semifinalists for the Collegiate Man of the Year," said Witten. "These twenty young men perfect examples of what makes college football so great. They have all demonstrated exceptional leadership and character, often while overcoming large challenges. They are great representatives for their schools and the game of football, and I commend all nominees for getting to this point."
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.
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