Cook Tabbed to Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List
9/26/2024 1:29:00 PM | Football
DALLAS – University of Missouri graduate student quarterback Brady Cook has been named to the watch list for the eighth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, the organization announced Thursday.
The student-athletes, nominated by their schools, 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 38 career games, 31 starts, he's completed 636-of-951 (.669) passes for 7,417 yards with 42 touchdowns and rushed 301 times for 1,083 yards (3.60) and 19 scores. Cook currently ranks second all-time on Mizzou's chart for career passing efficiency (144.02), third in 200-yard passing games (23), 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 week, 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.
Twenty semifinalists will be announced on October 22. 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.
Last year, Mike Hollins of Virginia won the seventh annual award. The first six Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year awards were presented to Shaquem Griffin of UCF in 2017, D'Cota Dixon of Wisconsin in 2018, Trey Smith of Tennessee in 2019, Sam Ehlinger of Texas in 2020, Joshua Paschal of Kentucky in 2021 and Deslin Alexandre of Pittsburgh in 2022.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
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.
