Washington junior Austin Seferian-Jenkins on Wednesday morning was named the winner of the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end.
The other finalists were North Carolina junior Eric Ebron and Florida State junior Nick O'Leary.
The award goes to the player who, the award website says, "best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey." The winner was determined by the Mackey Award selection committee.
Seferian-Jenkins (6-foot-6, 276 pounds) has not yet made public his plans for the future, but he is considered one of the most pro-ready tight ends in the nation. Seferian-Jenkins has had some off-field issues; he pleaded guilty in July to a drunken-driving charge and was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 363 of those days suspended. He was suspended for the Huskies' opener against Boise State.
Seferian-Jenkins has 33 receptions for 413 yards and seven touchdowns. He and the Huskies will play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against BYU. Ebron, who already has said he is turning pro, has 55 receptions for 895 yards and three TDs, and O'Leary has 33 catches for 557 yards and seven scores.
There was some criticism of the selection committee because Texas Tech junior Jace Amaro -- the leading receiver among the nation's tight ends by a large margin -- was not a finalist. Though Texas Tech lists him as a tight end, Amaro spends a lot of his time spread wide. Amaro was not on the initial "watch list," but he was one of the semifinalists before being inexplicably left off the list of finalists.
Past winners of the Mackey, which has been awarded since 2000, include Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert last season, Florida's Aaron Hernandez in 2009, UCLA's Marcedes Lewis in 2005 and Iowa's Dallas Clark in 2002.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
