Temple center Kyle Friend and linebacker Tyler Matakevich were among the 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players named as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Of the 30 candidates, 14 have grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher with five of those holding above a 3.5. Three are returning All-Americans, and 18 were all-conference selections in 2014.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January.