Elyria Graduate/Ohio State Defensive Tackle Tracy Sprinkle Named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List

Ohio State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle, a graduate of Elyria High School was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The award recognizes the best FBS athlete who combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

Sprinkled graduated in May with a degree in family resource management. Sprinkle earned a starting job for the first time in his Buckeye career in 2016, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first week of the season against Bowling Green, making his first career college start.

The 6-foot-3, 293 pound defensive tackle has battled back from the injury, undergoing surgery and spent his winter and spring going through rehab. Sprinkle is in competition to earn a starting job in 2017 and figures to be a big part of the rotation, regardless of whether he starts or not.

Sprinkle’s community service efforts include: working at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital telethon; spending an afternoon with kids at the Martin Luther King Arts Complex; packing boxes of food at the LifeCare Alliance and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank; visiting numerous schools to read to second graders as part of the 2nd and 7 Foundation; visiting patients at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; and completing outreach efforts at Linden McKinley and with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

A record 108 college FBS athletes were named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The award is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach Florida and is named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

As of July 18, 2017, here’s the list of Buckeyes who have been named to Preseason Award Watch Lists:

2017 Ohio State Football Preseason Honors

Wuerffel Award
Nominee
• DT Tracy Sprinkle

Butkus Award 
Watch List
• LB Jerome Baker
• LB Chris Worley

Paul Hornung Award 
Watch List
• H-B Parris Campbell

Jim Thorpe Award 
Watch List
• CB Denzel Ward

Bronko Nagurski Trophy 
Watch List
• LB Jerome Baker
• DE Nick Bosa
• DE Sam Hubbard
• DE Tyquan Lewis

Outland Trophy
Watch List
• OT Jamarco Jones
• C Billy Price

Rimington Trophy
Watch List
• C Billy Price

John Mackey Award
Watch List
• TE Marcus Baugh

Maxwell Award
Watch List
• QB J.T. Barrett
• RB Mike Weber

Bednarik Award 
Watch List
• LB Jerome Baker
• DE Nick Bosa
• DE Tyquan Lewis
• CB Denzel Ward

Allstate AFCA Good Works Team 
Nominee
• QB J.T. Barrett