ATLANTA (August 1, 2024) – Washington State kicker Dean Janikowski was named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, the Wuerffel Foundation announced Thursday.
 
Janikowski is one of 111 nominees up for College Football's premier award for community service  and one of the most meaningful award in collegiate sports.
 
The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy embodies Wuerffel's commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Trophy's founding, and the Foundation will recognize the first nineteen recipients throughout the fall season.
 
Last season, Janikowski appeared in all 12 games, was perfect on 44 PAT attempts and went 10-of-15 on field goal attempts. In the classroom, Janikowski was named to 2023 Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll with a 4.00 GPA while working towards his MBA, was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and was a William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist, give to the nation's best scholar athlete.
 
Off the field, Janikowski started a pledge called "More than a Kick" in 2021 where donations were made for each field goal and PAT by Janikowski and the donations go to helping children with cancer, in honor of his mom, Heather, who passed away from cancer. To date, More Than A Kick has raised over $37,000. Janikowski later started the Heather Janikowski Foundation and began another event called "Kicking Cancer" with an annual goal of raising $30,000 to support the Seattle Children's Hospital Cancer Research Center and those affect by cancer in the Pullman/Spokane area. The foundation has raised more than $88,000 towards Kicking Cancer. Janikowski also donated $2500 to former WSU basketball student-athlete Myles Rice, who was diagnosed with cancer and missed the entire 2022-23 season, he donated $15,000 to Molly Rice, who was an art teacher in nearby Colfax, Wash. for over 20 years and made additional donations of 5,000, $10,000 and $15,0000 have been distributed to individuals in the Pullman community. Janikowski also organizes in hometown of Fallbrook "Do It For Her 5k" and "Monserrate Memorial Hike," both raising money for Heather Janikowski Foundation.
 
On campus, at local Pullman church, Saint Thomas Moore Catholic Church, Janikowski helped run "Boot Camp" with current WSU football player Hudson Cedarland, which is a bible study with other members of the football team and in 2021 joined with then-teammates Liam Ryan and Abe Lucas (current member of Seattle Seahawks) in shoveling snow for elderly who were snowed in.
 
"I am deeply honored to see such outstanding individuals nominated for this year's Allstate Wuerffel Trophy," said Wuerffel. "Their commitment to serving others and making a positive impact in their communities is truly inspiring. Throughout my life and career, I have always believed in the importance of putting others before yourself and striving to make a difference. These nominees exemplify those values, and I am proud to celebrate their dedication to humanitarian efforts and selfless service." 
 
Announced recently, the Wuerffel Foundation partnered with Allstate to unify college football's highest community service honors. Eleven of the Watch List nominees will be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and will be Allstate Wuerffel Trophy semifinalists. 
 
The 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy finalists and recipient will be selected by an illustrious national voting committee, including a fan vote component, and announced on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12th.  The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Presentation Gala will take place February 1, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.