Davey O’Brien Award Picks Week 9’s Great 8
FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 27, 2025) — The Davey O’Brien Foundation has selected the Great 8 quarterbacks for Week 9 of the college football season. The list includes Joey Aguilar of Tennessee, BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, Haynes King of Georgia Tech, Memphis’ Brendon Lewis, Drew Mestemaker of North Texas, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, Conner Weigman of Houston and Washington’s Demond Williams Jr.
All eight members are officially on the Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List and are therefore eligible to be named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025, which will be announced Thursday. Fifty-five different quarterbacks have been honored through the 2025 season’s first nine weeks.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week, selected from the Great 8 list, will be revealed Tuesday at 11 a.m. (CT).
The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. Over its time, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $1.3 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.
In 1938, O’Brien, who wore No. 8 as a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
—www.DaveyOBrienAward.com—
Davey O’Brien Great 8: Week 9
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee, Sr., 6-3, 225, Antioch, Calif.
· Was 20 of 26 (76.9 percent) through the air for a season-high 396 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-34 victory at Kentucky.
Bear Bachmeier, BYU, Fr., 6-2, 230, Murrieta, California
· Accumulated 356 yards of total offense (307 passing, 49 rushing) and totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a 41-27 win at Iowa State.
Haynes King, Georgia Tech, Sr., 6-3, 215, Longview, Texas
· Was 25-for-31 passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 91 yards and two scores as the Yellow Jackets defeated Syracuse, 41-16.
Brendon Lewis, Memphis, Sr., 6-3, 210, Dallas, Texas
· Amassed 356 yards of offense (307 passing, 35 rushing, 14 receiving) and tossed a pair of touchdown passes as Memphis grabbed a 34-31 win over No. 18 USF.
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas, R-Fr., 6-4, 211, Austin, Texas
· Set a North Texas and American Conference record with 608 passing yards (37-for-49, .755) and fired four touchdown passes in a 54-20 win over Charlotte.
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M, So., 6-1, 185, Nashville, Tenn.
· Topped 200 yards passing (202) on 12 completions and 100 yards rushing (108) on 13 carries with four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in a 49-25 triumph at No. 20 LSU.
Conner Weigman, Houston, Jr., 6-3, 210, Cypress, Texas
· Was 17 of 22 passing for 201 yards and a score and rushed 21 times for 111 yards and two TDs as Houston scored a 24-16 upset win at No. 24 Arizona State.
Demond Williams Jr., Washington, So., 5-11, 190, Chandler, Ariz.
· Helped lead Washington past No. 23 Illinois (42-25) by going 26-for-33 for 280 yards and four touchdowns through the air while adding 66 yards on the ground.