OXFORD. – Ole Miss senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. announced Tuesday.
Named after one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, the prestigious award has been presented annually since 1987 to the nation’s top college quarterback.
Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class. Criteria to be considered for the award include character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities and athletic accomplishments.
Ta’amu, a senior from Pearl City, Hawaii, played in eight games last season for Ole Miss, starting the last five. He ended the year 115-of-173 for 1,682 yards and 11 touchdowns, including three-straight starts with 365 yards or more passing to start his Ole Miss career.
Ta’amu became the only Ole Miss QB to ever throw for 350 yards or more in back-to-back SEC games, as he put up a 368-yard outing vs. Arkansas, followed by 382 yards passing on the road at Kentucky.
Past standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011); Marcus Mariota (University of Oregon, 2014); Connor Cook (Michigan State, 2015); Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016) and the 2017 winner, Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State).
