Five football players from East Texas have been named to the 13th Annual Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List. The list includes Haynes King of Longview (Georgia Tech), Owen McCown of Rusk (UTSA), Devin McCuin of Jacksonville (UTSA), Jam Miller of Tyler Legacy (Alabama), and Hunter Tipton of Timpson (Middle Tennessee State).
The announcement was made by Cindy Smoak, executive director of SPORTyler, on Wednesday.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award honors the top offensive player in Division I football who also demonstrates qualities associated with Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community involvement, and tenacity. Nominees must also have played football at and graduated from a Texas high school or be currently playing at a Texas Division I four-year college.
The Watch List will be reduced to up to 16 semifinalists in November before narrowing further to as many as five finalists in December. Broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans, and previous winners select these athletes. The winner will be announced in December and recognized at The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet scheduled for Jan. 21, 2026 in Tyler.
This year’s Watch List features 102 players from nine conferences and one independent program: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Sun Belt Conference and one independent university. Players represent schools from 33 states and include nominees from 73 universities. Quarterbacks are most represented with 31 nominations followed by wide receivers (29), running backs (24), offensive linemen (13) and tight ends (five).
A nominee does not need to appear on the initial Watch List to remain eligible for the award. Nominations were submitted by colleges.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award was established in 2012 by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce along with SPORTyler.
Smoak said: “We are fortunate to have a celebrity who exhibits the impeccable virtues that define this award (…) In addition to being a well-known sports figure, Earl also earned a college degree, married his high school sweetheart, raised two successful sons and still supports the community where he grew up.”
Campbell attended John Tyler High School before joining the University of Texas under Coach Darrell K Royal. As a senior he led the nation with 1,744 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns before winning Texas’ first Heisman Trophy. He was later drafted by the Houston Oilers where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 and led the National Football League in rushing three times. Campbell earned NFL MVP honors in 1979 and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
“All my life all I wanted to do was be an athlete (…) I kept God in my life and surrounded myself with good people. I am humbled by this award named in my honor,” Campbell said.
For more information about The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award go to earlcampbellaward.com or contact csmoak@tylertexas.com or call 903-595-7226.
