The Ocala Quarterback Club is hosting a press conference to announce the inaugural Scot Brantley Trophy winner on Friday, Feb. 1.
The event, being held at the Ocala Elks Club, begins at 12:45 p.m.
From a list of four finalists, the winner will be recognized as the most outstanding football player/student/citizen in a six-county area of North Central Florida – Marion, Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter.
The original watch list included 51 players.
The honoree will receive the Scot Brantley Trophy on April 12 to be presented by Brantley himself, the former Florida Gator/Tampa Bay Bucs/Forest High School Wildcat star. A celebrity speaker will also be announced at a later date.
The basis of the selection was on the qualities exhibited by Brantley, a member and leader on two state championship teams at Forest High School, an All-SEC linebacker for the Florida Gators and a 10-year veteran of the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Those qualities include: On-field excellence, academics, leadership, athleticism, commitment and recommitment, faith, goal orientation, character and conscience.
A blue-ribbon panel that included former players, coaches and officials screened the nominees from high school coaches to authenticate their criteria.