July 13, 2017

NOTRE DAME, Indiana – University of Notre Dame senior punter Tyler Newsome was selected as a nominee for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most prestigious off-the-field honors in college football.

While Newsome enters his senior season as one of the nation’s top punters, it’s his efforts and commitment to the community that should garner the most attention. He has led the Irish football team in community service hours each of the last two seasons, including 2016-17 where he’s logged almost twice as many official hours as the next player.

His community involvement efforts have not gone unnoticed. In addition to the AFCA Good Works Team® nomination, Newsome captured the 2016 Irish Around the Bend Award, given to the Irish football player that bests serves the community.

Newsome was one of five Notre Dame student-athletes to capture the Community Champion Award in 2016-17. The award was established to recognize the contributions of an Irish student-athlete to the University community and the community-at-large, who embodies the spirit of leadership, commitment and selflessness, and who strives to make Notre Dame — as University President Father John Jenkins puts it — “a healing, unifying, enlightening force for a world deeply in need.” Conferring this award recognizes student-athletes who study for the sake of learning, give for the sake of giving, and understand that personal accomplishment is never achieved alone.

The first Irish football player to earn Community Champion accolades since Mike Golic Jr. in 2012-13, Newsome also received the ACC’s Top Six for Service Award in 2016. The honor is presented annually to six student-athletes from each conference institution who show outstanding dedication to community service and outreach programs.

Newsome has volunteered with the following football community events: Football 101, Roofsit 2016, Lift for Life, Chicago Backpack Donation, Football Service Friday, Make-A-Wish, Food Bank of Northern Indiana, Halloween Party, St. Mary’s Kids Christmas, Shop-With-A-Player and Center for Homeless. He also extended his time to the following projects, independent of the Irish football team: Boys and Girls Club, International Dot Day, Perley Elementary, Child & Parent Services (CAPS), Dream Teams, Tarkington Elementary and local hospitals as well as hospitals near his hometown of Carrollton, Georgia.

Most recently, Newsome was heavily involved with The Bald and the Beautiful. It’s the largest student-run philanthropy event at Notre Dame. The program helps raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research. To date, the club has raised over $259,000 for pediatric cancer research.

Newsome is a two-year monogram winner and two-year starting punter. He ranks second in school history with a career average of 44.0 yards per punt. Newsome also holds the Notre Dame single-game record for punting average (minimum five punts) — 52.4 yards per punt vs. UMass in 2015 (seven punts for 263 yards).

Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has brought together a select group of college football players from across the country to honor their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others. While players are often recognized for their accomplishments and achievements on game day, these student-athletes have made significant contributions to the greater good of society, inspiring future generations of young athletes and the larger college football community.

The student-athletes nominated for this esteemed award embody the true spirit of teamwork and selflessness, donating their limited free time to helping and serving others. From founding a non-profit that helps orphans secure jobs in the workforce to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® nominees may wear different jerseys on the field, but they all exemplify a superior commitment to giving back off of it.

Comprised of 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA, the final roster of 22 award recipients will be unveiled in September. From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select the 2017 Good Works Team®.

Once the final team members are announced in September, college football fans are encouraged to visit the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® website on ESPN.com, featuring profiles and images of the players, for the opportunity to vote for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain. Throughout the season, fans can also follow along and join in on the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their social media channels.

In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.

Here’s a quick rundown for the rest of the week and when specific awards will release watch lists:

Here’s a quick rundown for the rest of the week and when specific awards will release watch lists:

Mon., July 10: Bednarik Award (Morgan)/Maxwell Award (Josh Adams, McGlinchey)
Tue., July 11: John Mackey Award (Alizé Mack/Durham Smythe)/Rimington Trophy (Sam Mustipher)
Wed., July 12: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Thur., July 13: Bronco Nagurski Trophy (Morgan)/Outland Trophy (McGlinchey, Quenton Nelson)
Fri., July 14: Jim Thorpe Award
Mon., July 17: Butkus Award/Paul Hornung Award
Tue., July 18: Biletnikoff Award/ Wuerffel Trophy
Wed., July 19: Davey O’Brien Award
Thur., July 20: Doak Walker Award
Fri., July 21: Walter Camp Award

Michael Bertsch, director of football media relations at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2006. An Akron, Ohio, native, he graduated from Walsh University (Ohio) in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and also received his master’s degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from Marshall University in 2001.

— ND —