Notre Dame Football: Jalen Elliott named to Wuerffel Award watch list

Notre Dame football safety Jalen Elliott has been nominated for a very special award that was most recently won by Notre Dame alumnus Drue Tranquill.

The best way to describe Notre Dame football players are simply that they are cut from a different cloth. At Notre Dame, student athletes are held to a different standard from an academic standpoint. Others go the extra mile with philanthropic pursuits and community service.

That is the best way to describe Notre Dame safety Jalen Elliott, who was selected to the 2019 Danny Wuerffel Award watch list on Thursday afternoon.

Elliott’s development on the football field has been fun to watch. Last season, Elliott proved to be one of Notre Dame’s breakout players on defense. His development was a pleasant surprise for the Irish.

Off the field, the Irish safety has been an example of what it means to be a pillar in the community. According to Notre Dame’s official athletic website, Elliott has “been among the five most active Irish student-athletes in terms of service hours since he arrived on campus.” For his efforts, Elliott was awarded the Community Champion Award by the University of Notre Dame for the 2018-2019 academic year.

It is clear that, despite the growth that Elliott has shown on the football field, perhaps it is the growth off the field that has been the most impressive. At any rate, Elliott has been an unbelievable example of what it means to be a Notre Dame student and a student-athlete, in general.

In addition, the Wuerffel Award is no stranger to Notre Dame student-athletes. A year ago, the award was won by another great Notre Dame man, Drue Tranquill, who has since moved on to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.

If Tranquill, and now Elliot, are any indication, it would seem as if Notre Dame is doing a tremendous job in developing student-athletes into better players and better people.