As with all aspects of life, COVID-19 has altered the sports world greatly. College football has played an integral role in the sports landscape in this country for more than 125 years, and A. O. Smith Corp. certainly hopes that student athletes can safely return to the field this fall.

Whether college football games are played with or without fans in stadiums, fans will be watching and cheering from their homes as intently as ever once games return.

In anticipation of the 2020 college football season, The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award along with presenting sponsor A. O. Smith Corp. announce the 2020 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List.

The following is the 2020 Golden Arm Award Watch List Presented by A. O. Smith:

• Jack Abraham, Southern Mississippi
• Jake Bentley, Utah
• James Blackman, Florida State
• Ian Book, Notre Dame
• Alan Bowman, Texas Tech
• Myles Brennan, LSU
• Charlie Brewer, Baylor
• Chase Brice, Duke
• Anthony Brown, Oregon
• Sean Clifford, Penn State
• Jack Coan, Wisconsin
• K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
• Dustin Crum, Kent State
• Micale Cunningham, Louisville
• Sam Ehlinger, Texas
• Justin Fields, Ohio State
• Feleipe Franks, Arkansas
• Chase Garbers, California
• Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee
• Donald Hammond III, Air Force
• Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
• Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech
• Josh Jackson, Maryland
• Mac Jones, Alabama
• D'Eriq King, Miami
• Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
• Levi Lewis, Louisiana
• Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
• Dylan McCaffery, Michigan
• David Mills, Stanford
• Kellen Mond, Texas A & M
• Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
• Jamie Newman, Georgia
• Patrick O'Brien, Colorado State
• Asher O'Hara, Middle Tennessee
• Brandon Peters, Illinois
• Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
• Drew Plitt, Ball State
• Brock Purdy, Iowa State
• Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern
• Shawn Robinson, Missouri
• Nick Starkel, San Jose State
• Zac Thomas, Appalachian State
• Skylar Thompson, Kansas State
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
• Kyle Trask, Florida
• Zach Wilson, BYU
• Terry Wilson, Kentucky

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

This award is presented annually to the top senior and upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on and off the field.

Giving life to the commitment to give back, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation Inc. and presenting sponsor A. O. Smith continue to promote football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes. A. O. Smith is committed to creating innovative solutions that set new standards for their industry.

Sharing a tradition of innovation with Johnny Unitas, who invented football’s two-minute drill, A. O. Smith has been an innovator in its industry for more than a century. A. O. Smith offers its customers an additional advantage in that the company designs, builds, distributes and supports one of the world’s broadest and deepest lines of residential and commercial water heaters, as well as commercial boilers. This single-source concept simplifies ordering, installation and service and is backed by 80 years of research and innovation.

To learn more about the Golden Arm Award, visit www.goldenarmfoundation.com. Additionally, the conversation can be followed throughout the college football season on Twitter (@GoldenArmAward) with the hashtags #GoldenArmAward and #InnovationLeaders.

Sponsors of the Golden Arm Award Presented by A. O. Smith Corp. include MedStar Sports Medicine, The Babe Ruth Museum, Century Engineering, Comcast, Dunbar Security Solutions, Dunbar Protective Services, Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, Haddock Investments, Harvey Agency, HMS Insurance Associates Inc., Milwaukee Tool, PSAV,TRAY, AE2 Creative, Wolf Professional Security, and ZBest Executive & Global Transportation Services.