Buechele Selected As A Finalist For Senior CLASS Award

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Buechele Selected As A Finalist For Senior CLASS Award

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (SMU) – Quarterback Shane Buechele was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, honoring FBS student-athletes who excel both on and off the field.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

"From the first team event Shane Buechele attended as a Mustang, he made an impact on his teammates and the coaching staff around him," Head Coach Sonny Dykes said. "He inspires each person he encounters to both do more and be more through the example set in his own actions. I've said multiple times that I believe Shane is poised to be one of the highest producing quarterbacks this season, and while I stand by this statement, to limit his production to stats and touchdowns would do Shane a disservice."

Buechele has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, a Master's degree from SMU and is in the Cox School of Business, pursuing a second certification in Business Administration. He entered the semester with a 3.386 GPA and was a member of the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team last season.

He and girlfriend, Paige Vasquez, raised $50,000 for the Dallas Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund for COVID-19 to help the city during this time of uncertainty. The pair felt that they could team up and use their voices to rally support and give back to their community.

Buechele has multiple touchdowns in 18 of the last 22 games and 57 career TDs at SMU (2nd), with 87 overall. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing yards (5th, 3,095), completions per game (9th, 24.20), passing TDs (10th, 23) and passing yards per game (10th, 309.5).

Buechele has been named to the Davey O'Brien QB Class of 2020 and one of the top 15 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also mentioned on Maxwell, Manning, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and Wuerffel Trophy Watch Lists.

The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 30 candidates announced earlier in the season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through Monday, December 21. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in late December.

For more information on all the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

Finalists
Ian Book, University of Notre Dame
Shane Buechele, SMU
Greg Eisworth, Iowa State University
Robert Hainsey, University of Notre Dame
Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina University
Kekaula Kaniho, Boise State University
Kwity Paye, University of Michigan
Chazz Surratt, University of North Carolina
Kyle Trask, University of Florida
Brady White, University of Memphis