Purdue redshirt senior tight end Payne Durham was named to the 2022 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List, which was announced Friday.
The John Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding tight end. Last season, Colorado State's Trey McBride was the recipient of the award before being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Durham, who enters his fifth season with the Purdue football program, appeared in 12 games for the Boilermakers during the 2021 season, which included 10 starts. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound target caught 45 passes for 467 yards and six touchdowns.
By the end of the year, Durham earned recognition as an All-Big Ten honorable mention and was also a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award nominee. He was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Durham and the Purdue football team are scheduled to start their season on Thursday night, Sept. 1, against Penn State at Ross-Ade Stadium. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will be aired live on FOX.
2022 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List
- 2022 BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS SCHEDULE, ATTENDEES: The Big Ten Conference announced its full slate of coaches and student-athletes attending the 2022 Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The two-day event is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, July 26. CLICK HERE
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GUS HARTWIG NAMED TO RIMINGTON TROPHY WATCH LIST: Purdue redshirt sophomore center Gus Hartwig was named to the preseason watch list for the 2022 Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to college football's best center. He started all 13 games for the Boilermakers in 2021. CLICK HERE
- NO PURDUE PLAYER MAKES BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST: Rondale Moore and David Bell were recognized as some of the best pass-catchers in the country for the last four years. Moore had to play his way onto the Biletnikoff Award Watch List as a freshman in 2018, as did Bell the following year. Now entering the 2022 season, Purdue has no players on the 2022 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. CLICK HERE
- O'CONNELL NAMED TO DAVEY O'BRIEN WATCH LIST: Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell was among 35 players named to the 2022 Davey O'Brien Award watch list. He is the only player in program history to record two 500-yard passing games in a single season. CLICK HERE
- O'CONNELL NAMED TO MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST: Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell was among 13 Big Ten players named to the 2022 Maxwell Award watch list. He recorded 3,178 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the 2021 season for the Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
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