TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons is one of 20 semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, it was announced Wednesday.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
Gibbons, who is a member of the 2022 Allstate Good Works Team and was recently named a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy after being named to the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team last season, has established a non-profit foundation to raise funds for those in need. His foundation partners with collegiate ambassadors across college football and connects with charitable causes they are passionate about, including those with special medical needs, shopping with children in the community and repairing damage caused by natural disasters.
This season, Gibbons has helped lead an offensive line that has blocked for one of the ACC’s most efficient and explosive offenses. Florida State leads the nation with 75 plays of at least 20 yards and ranks third nationally in explosive play differential, boasting an offensive explosive play rate of 16.62 percent. The offense’s 15 touchdown drives of 80-plus yards are the most in the country, and the seven touchdown drives covering 90 or more yards are second nationally. FSU is 10th in the nation with an average of 6.89 yards per play and 16th in the country averaging 477.1 yards of total offense per game. Florida State is the only team in the ACC, and one of four in the nation, averaging at least 260 passing yards and 210 rushing yards per game. FSU leads the ACC in yards per rush and rushing yards per game, averaging 5.53 yards per rush to rank 11th in the nation and 213.6 rushing yards per game to rank 16th, and have eclipsed 200 rushing yards in five straight…