Marcus Mariota Named 2014 Associated Press Player of the Year

The accolades keep coming for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Two weeks after being named the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, the junior has been named The Associated Press Player of the Year.According to a tweet fromSportsCenter, Mariota has become the first player from the school to win the AP honor:Per Ralph Russo of The Associated Press, Mariota was a landslide winner in the balloting conducted by members of The AP Top 25 panel:Mariota won the AP vote in the same landslide fashion he won the Heisman Trophy. He received 49 of the 54 votes submitted by the AP Top 25 media panel. Alabama receiver Amari Cooper drew three votes. Wisconsin running back (Melvin Gordon) and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had one vote each.Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich commented on Mariota, via Russo."He's an absolute competitor, an incredible perfectionist," Helfrich said.In addition to this AP honor and the Heisman, Mariota has also won the Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year), Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Award (Nation's Best Quarterback) and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.Mariota is busy preparing his Oregon team to play Florida State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 as part of the inaugural College Football Playoff. He's also poised to be one of the top players taken in the 2015 NFL draft if he decides to leave school early.He has already done plenty to distinguish himself as one of the top football players in the country, though a strong showing in the Rose Bowl would be a great way for him to finish an already terrific season. There's little doubt that NFL teams at the top of the draft will be eager for a chance to land Mariota as a potential franchise player under center in the near future.
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