Jones named to Golden Arm Award Watch List

Gators quarterback Emory Jones was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation announced on Thursday.

The Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the top upperclassmen quarterback in the country. A player must be set to graduate with his class to be eligible for the award.

A selection committee that consists of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers and former players will select the semifinalists, finalists and winner.

The award is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, who played 17 seasons for the Baltimore Colts after a successful college career at Louisville.

John Unitas Jr. will present the award at the Golden Arm Award banquet and celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore on Dec. 10.

This is the first watchlist that Jones has made this preseason. The redshirt junior is expected to take over as UF’s starter this season. He completed 55 of 86 passes for 613 yards and seven touchdowns and added 514 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 92 carries in a reserve role the past three years.

Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.