Louis Dorsey named to Mackey Award Watch List

Illinois sophomore tight end Louis Dorsey was announced to the John Mackey Award Watch List on Friday.

The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football’s best tight end. Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews took home the award in 2017.

A sophomore from Jacksonville, Dorsey was among the Illini’s top offensive threats as a freshman, starting seven games and playing in all 12. Dorsey had 22 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns last season, including a 77-yard TD to open the second half versus Indiana — the longest reception ever by an Illini true freshman.

He averaged 18 yards per catch in 2017, which would have led all FBS true freshmen if he reached the NCAA stats minimum (2.0) for receptions, but he only had 1.83 per game.

With hopefully more stability at QB and an entire season of starting, Dorsey could surely be one of the top tight ends in the country in 2018.