Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State senior Josh Oliver was rightfully recognized for his 2017 breakthrough season as a pass-catching tight end.

Following a breakthrough season, Spartans’ Josh Oliver became one of 64 tight ends named to the 2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. The list was named after the Pro Football Hall of Fame legend, John Mackey, from the 1960’s and 1970’s, who later became the first President of the National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA). Accordingly, the award honors the best tight end in college football each year.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 250 pounds, Oliver caught 35 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown in 2017. He ranked second on the Spartan team in number of pass receptions. A two-year starter for the Spartans, he was used more as a blocking tight end his first two seasons and had just seven receptions–two of them for touchdowns. His first major college touchdown came in San Jose State’s win in the 2015 AutoNation Cure Bowl.

The Paso Robles, Calif. native, Oliver is a three-time Academic All-Mountain West award recipient and a 2017 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar.

The 2018 John Mackey Award will be announced on December 5 and presented live on December 6 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU.

Oliver and fellow teammate Bryson Bridges, a senior defensive tackle, will be the two San Jose State players participating in the 2018 Mountain West Football Summit on July 25 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.