College football has reached that nebulous point of the season between the regular season and bowl season, where games are no longer being played and the biggest storylines — outside the coaching carousel and recruiting trail — are hardware-related.
In other words: It's college football awards season.
Despite the focus on awards such as the Heisman Trophy, there are actually a handful of other pretigious awards available for the best college players in the nation, ranging from top defensive player (Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik awards) to the top receiver (Biletnikoff) and punter (Ray Guy Award).
The number of awards, coupled with several finalists for each individual honor, can be dizzying for college football fans to keep up with — were it not for Sporting News, which has awards season covered.
With that, here's everything you need to know about the college football player awards for the 2021 season, including awards descriptions, finalists and winners.
MORE: Biggest Heisman finalist snubs for 2021
College football awards 2021
Awards and finalists listed alphabetically
| Award | Category | Finalists | Winner |
| Associated Press Player of the Year | Nation's top player | Bryce Young, QB, Alabama | |
| Biletnikoff Award | Nation's top receiver | David Bell, WR, Purdue; Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama; Jordan Addison, WR, Pitt | Jordan Addison, Pitt |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Defensive player of the year | Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia; Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon; Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama | Will Anderson Jr., LB Alabama |
| Burlsworth Trophy | Top former walk-on | Carlton Martial, LB, Troy; Grant Morgan, LB, Arkansas; Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia | Grant Morgan, LB, Arkansas |
| Butkus Award | Nation's top linebacker | Chad Muma, Wyoming; Damone Clark; Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati; Devin Lloyd, Utah; Leo Chenal, Wisconsin; Nakobe Dean, Georgia | Nakobe Dean, Georgia |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Defensive player of the year | Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia; Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon; Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame; Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama | Jordan Davis, Georgia |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Nation's top quarterback | Bryce Young, Alabama; C.J. Stroud, Ohio State; Kenny Pickett, Pitt | Bryce Young, Alabama |
| Doak Walker Award | Nation's top running back | Breece Hall, Iowa State; Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State; Tyler Badie, Missouri | Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State |
| Heisman Trophy | Nation's most outstanding player | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan; Bryce Young, QB, Alabama; C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State; Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt | Announced Dec. 11 |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Nation's top defensive back | Coby Bryant, Cincinnati; Jalen Pitre, Baylor; Verone McKinley III, Oregon | Coby Bryant, Cincinnati |
| Joe Moore Award | Nation's top offensive line | Air Force, Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon State | TBA |
| John Mackey Award | Nation's top tight end | Charlie Kolar, Iowa State; Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M Trey McBride, Colorado State | Trey McBride, Colorado State |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Nation's top upperclassman quarterback | Anthony Brown, Oregon; Brennan Armstrong, Virginia; Carson Strong, Nevada; Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati; Devin Leary, N.C. State; Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina; Kenny Pickett, Pitt; Malik Willis, Liberty; Matt Corral, Ole Miss; Sam Hartman, Wake Forest | Kenny Pickett, Pitt |
| Lombardi Award | Outstanding college football lineman | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan; Kenyon Greene, OL, Texas A&M Mike Rose, LB, Iowa State; Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa State | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan |
| Lou Groza Award | Nation's top placekicker | Gabe Brkic, Oklahoma; Jake Moody, Michigan; Noah Ruggles, Ohio State | Jake Moody, Michigan |
| Maxwell Award | College player of the year | Bryce Young, QB, Alabama; Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State; Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt | Bryce Young, Alabama |
| Outland Trophy | Nation's top interior lineman | Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia; Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State; Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Jordan Davis, Georgia |
| Paul Hornung Award | Nation's most versatile player | Blake Corum, RB, Michigan; Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State; Justin Hall, WR, Ball State; Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame; Marcus Jones, CB, Houston | Marcus Jones, Houston |
| Ray Guy Award | Nation's top punter | Adam Korsak, Rutgers; Jordan Stout, Penn State; Matt Araiza, San Diego State | Matt Araiza, San Diego State |
| Rimington Trophy | Nation's top center | Alec Lindstrom, Boston College; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Virginia; Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa | Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa |
| Sporting News Player of the Year | College player of the year | TBA | |
| Ted Hendricks Award | Nation's top defensive end | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan | |
| Walter Camp Award | College player of the year | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan; Bryce Young, QB, Alabama; Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia; Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State; Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt | Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State |
| William V. Campbell Trophy | Academic Heisman | Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State | |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Community service | Isaiah Sanders, QB, Stanford; Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia; Patrick Fields, S, Oklahoma | Isaiah Sanders, Stanford |