NORTHBROOK, Ill. (September 17, 2024) – Washington State kicker Dean Janikowski was named to the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and a Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist, the AFCA and Wuerffel Foundation announced Tuesday.
 
Janikowski is one of 11 FBS semifinalists up for College Football's premier award for community service and one of the most meaningful award in collegiate sports. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, announced later this year, is presented to one of the 11 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players elected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. This year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was selected from a record 178 nominees, representing players and coaches from colleges and universities across the country for their unwavering commitment to community service and their "good works" off the field.
 
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. Janikowski enters week four with a pair of made field goals and 15-of-16 on extra points while pulling double duty and punting this season, averaging 40.8 yards-per-punt on 11 punts with three inside the 20 and a long of 52. Janikowski enters the week four game against San Jose State second in school history with 141 career PAT, fourth in career field goal percentage (74.0), fifth with 252 career points and sixth with 37 career made field goals.
 
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.
 
The full roster of the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and their stories of community service can be found at ESPN.com/Allstate.
 

FBS
Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
JJ Pegues	DT	Sr.	Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss.
Nick Dawkins	OL	Sr.	Penn State University	Allentown, Pa.
Chase Griffin	QB	Gr.	UCLA	Round Rock, Tex.
Malaki Starks	DB	Jr.	University of Georgia	Jefferson, Ga.
Brayden Schager	QB	Sr.	University of Hawaii	Dallas, Tex.
J.J. Weaver	OLB	Gr.	University of Kentucky	Louisville, Ky.
Jack Kiser	LB	Sr.	University of Notre Dame	Royal Center, Ind.
Gavin Sawchuk	RB	So.	University of Oklahoma	Littleton, Colo.
Hayden Conner	OL	Sr.	University of Texas	Katy, Tex.
Dean Janikowski	K	Gr.	Washington State University	Fallbrook, Calif.
Garrett Greene	QB	Sr.	West Virginia University	Tallahassee, Fla.
FCS, Divisions II, III, and NAIA
Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Dru Johnson	WR	Jr.	Ashland University	Van Wert, Ohio
Aaron Ellingson	RB	Sr.	Bethel University (Minn.)	St. Louis Park, Minn.
Christo Kelly	C	Sr.	College of the Holy Cross	Wilmette, Ill.
Micah Green	LB	Sr.	Dartmouth College	Indianapolis, Ind.
Julian Rawlins	DL	Sr.	Davidson College	Huntersville, N.C.
Clayton Mosher	LB	Sr.	Indiana Wesleyan University	Stow, Ohio
Matt Wrather	C	Sr.	John Carroll University	Powell, Ohio
Thomas Grehan	LB	Sr.	Johns Hopkins University	Concord, Mass.
Isaac Pingel	DB	Sr.	Morningside University	Spencer, Iowa
Jake Schwinghammer	LB	Sr.	Saint John's University (Minn.)	Woodbury, Minn.
Matt DeVirgilio	LB	Sr.	Stonehill College	Dedham, Mass.
Honorary Head Coach
Marcus Freeman
University of Notre Dame

 
The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy recipient and Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain
The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service, is presented to one of the 11 FBS players elected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team who best combines exemplary community service with leadership and performance on and off the field. Named after Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Danny Wuerffel, the award honors the former NFL quarterback's commitment to inspiring greater service and unity in the world.
 
"Seeing the incredible effort the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has committed through hundreds of service hours to benefit their communities, starting nonprofit foundations, and hosting fundraising events, is truly inspiring," said Wuerffel. "We are excited to see which of these incredible servant leaders will be named the 20th anniversary recipient of the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy this year."
 
The 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy finalists and recipient will be selected by a national voting committee, including a fan vote component. The 2024 recipient, who will also be recognized as the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain, will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards show on December 12, airing on ESPN.
 
Fans can cast their vote by November 15 at ESPN.com/Allstate.
 
About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.
 
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads all conferences with 89 selections to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 55 selections and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 43 selections. Georgia is in first place with 24 honorees to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. The Bulldogs are followed by Kentucky and Bethel (Minn.) with 18 honorees. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams, respectively.
 
About the AFCA
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football."
 
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Request Form.
 
About the Wuerffel Foundation
The Wuerffel Foundation is dedicated to supporting Danny Wuerffel's mission to inspire greater service and unity in the world, built on the three values of excellence, service and humility. As a recognized humanitarian, Danny mentors community leaders and connects them with philanthropic resources. The foundation annually presents the prestigious Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service, and hosts the Desire Cup and PickleBowl events.
 
About the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy
The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, a member of the National College Football Awards Association, is college football's premier award for community service. The trophy is presented annually by the Wuerffel Foundation to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership and performance on and off the field. Named after Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer, Danny Wuerffel, the award honors his commitment to inspiring greater service and unity in the world. Established in 2005, the Wuerffel Trophy is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Wuerffel led the University of Florida to four SEC Championships and the 1996 National Championship. As a humanitarian, he continues to inspire leaders to positively impact their communities. Danny currently serves as President of the Wuerffel Foundation and Executive Director of Desire Street Ministries. An avid pickleball player, he was drafted as a professional within the National Pickleball League and hosts celebrity pro-am "PickleBowl" tournaments.