LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Davey O'Brien Foundation unveiled the 2022 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List today, a group that includes 35 of the nation's top returning college quarterbacks, including University of Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham.

Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2022 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution.

A fifth-year senior, Cunningham begins his fourth year as the UofL starting quarterback. Last season, Cunningham led the lead the ACC in rushing touchdowns with 20 and became only the second quarterback in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. The native of Montgomery, Ala., accounted for 39 total touchdowns in 13 games as a starter.

He rushed for 1,031 yards, totaling three 100-yard games. He rushed for a career high 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season in a win over Duke and ran for 133 yards and three scores versus Boston College.

As a passer, Cunningham threw for 2,841 yards and 19 touchdowns, while completing 62.0 percent of his passes. He recorded two 300-yard games throwing for 309 yards at Wake Forest and 303 yards and five touchdowns on the road at Duke.

Headlining the group are 2021 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback winner Bryce Young of Alabama and 2021 finalist C.J. Stroud of Ohio State. In all, 12 of last year's 16 semifinalists return. The group includes Young and Stroud, as well as Brennan Armstrong of Virginia, Georgia's Stetson Bennett, Jake Haener of Fresno State, UTSA's Frank Harris, Sam Hartman of Wake Forest, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, Grayson McCall of Coastal Carolina, SMU's Tanner Mordecai, Will Rogers of Mississippi State and USC's Caleb Williams.

The remaining 2022 Preseason Watch List honorees are Gerry Bohanon (USF), Logan Bonner (Utah State), Chase Brice (Appalachian State), Sean Clifford (Penn State), Brett Gabbert (Miami [OH]), Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma), Jaren Hall (BYU), KJ Jefferson (Arkansas), Devin Leary (NC State), Will Levis (Kentucky), Tanner McKee (Stanford), Bo Nix (Oregon), Aidan O'Connell (Purdue), Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), Chris Reynolds (Charlotte), Cameron Rising (Utah), Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State), Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA), Payton Thorne (Michigan State), Clayton Tune (Houston) and Tyler Van Dyke (Miami).