John Alan Richter is among the candidates that could take home the nation’s most prestigious quarterback award.
Toledo Rockets quarterback John Alan Richter was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Midseason Watch List this week, placing him among the leading candidates to potentially take home the country’s most prestigious quarterback award.
“He’s such a steady hand in this building,” Toledo head coach Mike Jacobs said. “I'm super proud of him, and there's no one in our building more deserving of all the accolades. I'm excited about what he has left in the tank for this season.”
The Davey O’Brien Award is annually presented to the best quarterback in the nation. Richter is the only quarterback in the MAC to be included on the watch list this season and the first Toledo signal caller to be up for the award since 2023.
Richter has been a revelation in every sense of the word in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Rockets.
The Toledo quarterback currently leads the MAC with 2,501 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 195 completions. Not only has he been the best quarterback in the MAC this season, but Richter has been one of the most productive signal callers across all of college football, ranking 15th in the country in passing yards and 18th in passing touchdowns.
The Toledo quarterback has had a lot of individual success this year, breaking school records and setting career-highs, but most importantly, Richter has the Rockets squarely in the MAC title race with an 8-2 record and 5-1 mark in MAC play.
“We're in position to be in meaningful games in November, and the biggest reason for that is our quarterback play,” Jacobs told the media. “John Alan has an ability to understand what defenses are trying to do and quickly make adjustments.”
Richter is certainly a long shot to actually take home the award, but just being nominated for such a prestigious honor is a huge accomplishment and an acknowledgment of his development into becoming a truly elite quarterback at Toledo.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, and Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton are the favorites to win the Davey O’Brien Award, which will be revealed at the Home Depot College Football Awards next month.