The John Mackey Award committee announced the preseason watch list for the annual honor given to college football's top tight end Wednesday. Nick O'Leary, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Bills, won the award last season.
With O'Leary now in the NFL, a new winner is guaranteed this fall. Other notable recipients of the coveted trophy, which has been handed out since 2000, include Dallas Clark, Kellen Winslow II and Heath Miller. No school has won it more than once.
Here's a complete look at the initial watch list for 2015:
| Player | School | Player | School |
| Jerell Adams | South Carolina | Austin Hooper | Stanford |
| Jake Butt | Michigan | O. |