Junior wide receiver one of 15 “players to watch” in final weeks of regular season

Golden Tate

The 5-11, 195-pounder two sport star from Hendersonville, Tenn., leads the Irish with 74 receptions for 1,172 yards with 11 receiving touchdowns adding two rushing touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. He is five receptions shy and 78 yards away from breaking Notre Dame’s single-season school record for receptions and receiving yards.

Tate’s 14 total touchdowns are tied for most among wide receivers in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He is tied for third in touchdown receptions, ranks fourth in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game and is ninth in both yards per catch and receptions per game. Tate has totaled seven 100-yard receiving games this year, second most in Notre Dame history and no FBS player has more this season.

Tate is also a two year member of the Fighting Irish baseball team.  He has a career .318 batting average with 51 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.

Tate has also been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (top college football player) and the Biletnikoff Award (top collegiate wide receiver).

Stanford football/baseball player Toby Gerhart is a Walter Camp semifinalist as well.  The senior running back has rushed for 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Cardinal in 2009.  He is also an outfielder on the Stanford baseball team.

Both Tate and Gerhart have been featured throughout the current football season on the exclusive Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented live on Thursday, Dec. 10 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

The winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, CT.

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Players to Watch”

Toby Gerhart, Senior, RB, Stanford – 1,395 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns
Mardy Gilyard, Senior, WR, Cincinnati – Averaging over 180 all-purpose yardage a game
Jerry Hughes, Senior, DL, TCU – 13 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks
Mark Ingram, Soph., RB, Alabama – 1,297 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns
Case Keenum, Junior, QB, Houston – Leads nation with 4,194 passing yards and 31 touchdowns
Dion Lewis, Freshman, RB, Pittsburgh – 1,291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns
Rolando McClain, Junior, LB, Alabama – 77 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions
Colt McCoy, Senior, QB, Texas – Completing 72.3% of passes for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns
Kellen Moore, Soph., QB, Boise State – Leads nation with 172.49 passing efficiency
Jacquizz Rodgers, Soph., RB, Oregon State – 1,545 rushing & receiving yards and 18 touchdowns
Jordan Shipley, Senior WR, Texas – 81 receptions for 1,096 yards and 8 touchdowns
C.J. Spiller, Senior, RB/KR, Clemson – Averaging 195.2 all-purpose yards a game
Ndamukong Suh, Senior, DT, Nebraska – 14 QB hurries, 11 tackles for loss, 8 pass breakups and 5 sacks
Golden Tate, Junior, WR, Notre Dame – 1,174 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns
Tim Tebow, Senior, QB, Florida – Has passed for 10 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more

(Staff and release contributions)