Wake Forest Athletics
Donovan Greene Named to 2024 College Football Comeback Player of the Year Pre-Season Watch List
8/7/2024 9:49:00 AM | Football
Greene is one of 90 college football student-athletes from 68 different schools currently under consideration.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest football redshirt junior wide receiver Donovan Greene was named to the 2024 College Football Comeback Player of the Year Pre-Season Watch List, as announced by The College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization on Wednesday morning.
Greene started in all 13 games during the 2022 season, helping lead the team to its seventh consecutive bowl game and back-to-back bowl wins with a victory over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl before missing the 2023 season with an injury.
In his redshirt sophomore season, Greene finished second on the team in receiving yards with a career-high 642 yards while also leading the team in yards per reception with a 17.4 yard average, ending the season with a career-high six touchdown receptions including two multi-touchdown games against nationally-ranked opponents Clemson and North Carolina.
He had his best game of the season against the Tar Heels, tallying four receptions for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also having a season-long reception of 60 yards
The Mount Airy, North Carolina product posted at least one reception in every game with multiple catches in 11 of 13 games.
In 2020, Greene started eight games at wide receiver as a redshirt freshman. The wideout averaged 20.1 yards per reception, the highest single-season mark in Wake Forest history (min. 25 receptions).
He hauled in six catches for 122 yards in the Duke's Mayo Bowl vs Wisconsin (12/30) and had another monster game against North Carolina, reeling in eight balls for 170 yards and two touchdowns(11/14).
Greene housed a 96-yard kick return touchdown vs Campbell (10/2), the program's first since Kevin Marion in 2007 and finished the season opener against No. 1 Clemson with 103 total yards on four touches, averaging 25.33 yards on three receptions.
In 2019, he became the first true freshman with a 100-yard receiving game since Todd Dixon in 1990
with seven catches for 172 yards at Syracuse (11/30), recording the longest reception of the year with a 75-yard touchdown catch.
About the Comeback Player of the Year Award
Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury,
illness, or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
About College Sports Communicators
The second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics, College Sports Communicators was founded in 1957 and rebranded in August 2022. The organization, now in its 67th year as an organization, was previously known as College Sports Information Directors of America, or CoSIDA. Today, College Sports Communicators is a vibrant 4,200-plus member international association, composed of the athletic communications, media relations, digital and creative professionals throughout all levels of intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. CSC's signature program is the Academic All-America® program, honoring thousands of outstanding scholar-athletes annually. To learn more, visit collegesportscommunicators.com
2024 Preseason Demon Deacons Honorees
Justin Cody - 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams Nominee and Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Ivan Mora - 2024 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watchlist
Demond Claiborne - 2024 Doak Walker Award Candidate
Greene started in all 13 games during the 2022 season, helping lead the team to its seventh consecutive bowl game and back-to-back bowl wins with a victory over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl before missing the 2023 season with an injury.
In his redshirt sophomore season, Greene finished second on the team in receiving yards with a career-high 642 yards while also leading the team in yards per reception with a 17.4 yard average, ending the season with a career-high six touchdown receptions including two multi-touchdown games against nationally-ranked opponents Clemson and North Carolina.
He had his best game of the season against the Tar Heels, tallying four receptions for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also having a season-long reception of 60 yards
The Mount Airy, North Carolina product posted at least one reception in every game with multiple catches in 11 of 13 games.
In 2020, Greene started eight games at wide receiver as a redshirt freshman. The wideout averaged 20.1 yards per reception, the highest single-season mark in Wake Forest history (min. 25 receptions).
He hauled in six catches for 122 yards in the Duke's Mayo Bowl vs Wisconsin (12/30) and had another monster game against North Carolina, reeling in eight balls for 170 yards and two touchdowns(11/14).
Greene housed a 96-yard kick return touchdown vs Campbell (10/2), the program's first since Kevin Marion in 2007 and finished the season opener against No. 1 Clemson with 103 total yards on four touches, averaging 25.33 yards on three receptions.
In 2019, he became the first true freshman with a 100-yard receiving game since Todd Dixon in 1990
with seven catches for 172 yards at Syracuse (11/30), recording the longest reception of the year with a 75-yard touchdown catch.
About the Comeback Player of the Year Award
Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury,
illness, or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
About College Sports Communicators
The second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics, College Sports Communicators was founded in 1957 and rebranded in August 2022. The organization, now in its 67th year as an organization, was previously known as College Sports Information Directors of America, or CoSIDA. Today, College Sports Communicators is a vibrant 4,200-plus member international association, composed of the athletic communications, media relations, digital and creative professionals throughout all levels of intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. CSC's signature program is the Academic All-America® program, honoring thousands of outstanding scholar-athletes annually. To learn more, visit collegesportscommunicators.com
2024 Preseason Demon Deacons Honorees
Justin Cody - 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams Nominee and Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Ivan Mora - 2024 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watchlist
Demond Claiborne - 2024 Doak Walker Award Candidate
Players Mentioned
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser at Pitt
Wednesday, January 28
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser at Duke
Saturday, January 24
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser vs. SMU
Wednesday, January 21
Men's Basketball All-Access at Florida State
Monday, January 19