Six SEC players, including Tennessee's Arion Carter, named Witten Award semifinalists

Six SEC players were among 20 semifinalists announced Wednesday for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. Tennessee's Arion Carter was joined by Alabama's Bray Hubbard, Texas' Hero Kanu, Georgia's Lawson Luckie, Kentucky's Willie Rodriguez and Oklahoma's David Stone.

The award, created in 2017, is presented each year to an FBS player who has shown leadership through courage, integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field. Carter and Hubbard had also been named finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy earlier in the day, adding a second national recognition for both.

The semifinalist list will be cut to three finalists on Dec. 15, and the winner will be announced at AT&T Stadium on March 11, 2027. For Tennessee, Carter's inclusion keeps him in contention for an honor that measures influence and character as well as football.