Sanker, Washington Earn Top State Honors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Touchdown Club of Richmond announced that safety Jonas Sanker is the state’s 2023 Defensive Back of the Year and Malik Washington is this year’s Offensive End of the Year. UVA was the only school with two honorees among the seven major award winners.

2023 TD Club of Richmond College Football Award Winners

• Offensive Back of the Year – Kaidon Saltor, QB, Liberty University
• Offensive End of the Year – Malik Washington, WR, University of Virginia
• Offensive Lineman of the Year – Ryan Coll, RG, University of Richmond
• Defensive Lineman of the Year – Jalen Green, DE, James Madison University
• Linebacker of the Year – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion University
• Defensive Back of the Year – Jonas Sanker, S, University of Virginia
• Specialist of the Year – John Love, Placekicker, Virginia Tech

The honored players will be recognized during the broadcast of the Dudley and Lanier Awards presentation, scheduled for Saturday, December 9. Earlier this week, Washington was announced as one of three finalists for the Dudley Award, which is presented to the state’s top collegiate football player at the NCAA Division I level. This awards broadcast, hosted by Lane Casadonte, will air on WTVR-TV6, the local CBS affiliate in Richmond. The awards show will air, following the national broadcast of the Army vs. Navy football game on CBS, which starts at 3 p.m.

Sanker earned First Team All-ACC honors from the league and the Associated Press at safety at the conclusion of the regular season. His 6.1 solo tackles per game led the ACC and were the second most in the country. He compiled 107 tackles (8.9 tackles per game), the third-most in the league and the most by a UVA defensive back since Quin Blanding in 2017. Sanker was credited with 10 passes defended, tied for the sixth-most in the ACC.

Washington adds to a bevy of accolades this week. He’s looking to become UVA’s fifth Dudley Award winner in the last five years on Saturday. Washington has been named an All-American by College Football Network and Pro Football Focus. He was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award after shattering UVA’s single-season receptions record (110) and receiving yards mark (1,426). The 110 receptions are a single-season ACC record and are the most in the country and his 1,426 receiving yards are the third-most of any player in FBS. Washington garnered first team All-ACC honors from the league and the Associated Press.