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The Friends of John Mackey announced today eight semifinalists for the 2015 John Mackey Award, presented to the most outstanding tight end in college football.
Matt Weiser is not on the list, and I won't gussy this up further:
| Receptions | Yards | TD | YPC | ||
| Jake Butt | Michigan | 38 | 500 | 2 | 13.2 |
| Billy Freeman | SJSU | 36 | 412 | 5 | 11.4 |
| Hunter Henry | Arkansas | 37 | 490 | 1 | 13.2 |
| Bucky Hodges | Virginia Tech | 27 | 414 | 5 | 15.3 |
| Austin Hooper | Stanford | 26 | 379 | 5 | 14.6 |
| OJ Howard | Alabama | 29 | 323 | 0 | 11.1 |
| Jordan Leggett | Clemson | 26 | 334 | 6 | 12.8 |
| Jake McGee | Florida | 31 | 268 | 3 | 8.6 |
| Matt Weiser | Buffalo | 53 | 514 | 2 | 9.7 |
Two years ago, I wrote about Branden Oliver's Doak Walker chances after he was snubbed from the semifinalist list. At the time it was obvious that Boston College's Andre Williams would win the award, but BO deserved a spot among the final ten.
Today, the Friends of John Mackey show a clear preference for tight ends with big play ability or SEC pedigrees. Weiser leads all tight ends nationally in receiving yards and is second in receptions, and Eastern Carolina's Bryce Williams (47, 502, 3, 10.7) was also left off the list despite being second among all tight ends in yards and third in receptions. NC State's Jaylen Samuels has 57 receptions, 495 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns for a 10.7 yards per catch average.
Given that Weiser was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week following his 10-catch, 131-yard showing against Nevada, we know that he should have been on the committee's radar. He's been arguably the most consistent cog of the Buffalo offense this season, and should at least be set for All-MAC recognition.