RENO, Nev. – Nevada quarterback Carson Strong was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Preseason Watch List Tuesday morning. The award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback.

It is the second-straight day in which Strong has been named a preseason award candidate, following Monday's inclusion on the Maxwell Award list.

Among the 30 quarterbacks on the Davey O'Brien list, Strong is one of two from the Mountain West, along with San Jose State's Nick Starkel.

Strong, a consensus pick to the Preseason All-Mountain West First Teams of Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and Pro Football Focus (PFF), was the Mountain West's top offensive player and the quarterback of the All-Mountain West First Team in 2020. He paced the conference in passing yards (2,858), passing touchdowns (27), completion percentage (70.1), and ranked in the FBS top 10 in completions per game (27.7, second), passing yards per game (317.6, seventh), completion percentage (seventh), and touchdown passes (ninth), while coming in 11th in passing yards. He also finished the year with an interception rate of just 1.13, throwing just four picks over 355 attempts.

Sixteen semifinalists selected from the QB Class of 2021 list will be named on Monday, Nov. 8, with the three finalists announced two weeks later (Monday, Nov. 22). The 2021 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 9, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Nevada opens the 2021 season Saturday, Sept. 4 at California, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on FS1. The Pack's home opener takes place the following weekend, as it hosts Idaho State Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.

2021 Nevada Preseason Award Candidates

WR Romeo Doubs
Maxwell Award

LB Lawson Hall 
Bednarik Award

QB Carson Strong 
Maxwell Award
Davey O'Brien Award