DALLAS – On Tuesday Western Michigan football senior Mike Caliendo was won of 20 student-athletes to be named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, recognizing a player's leadership, both on and off the field.

Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten College Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, Dec. 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on Feb. 16, 2021.

Caliendo is a preseason First Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree by Phil Steele and second team by Athlon Sports. Caliendo was also named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, an award present to the nation's top interior lineman. The Brookfield, Wis., native also is a Wuerrfel Trophy nominee and a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

Off the field, Caliendo was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 honoree in 2019. He is a three-time Academic All-MAC (2017-18-19) selection and three-time MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete (2017-18-19). In addition to his candidacy for the Wuerffel Trophy, Caliendo is Western Michigan's nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for excellence in community service.

Caliendo graduated from Western Michigan in December with a 3.90 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) and a degree in biomedical sciences. He owns a 4.00 GPA as a master's student in biomedical sciences and is applying to medical schools. Off campus, Caliendo has taken part in a variety of community service projects, including working with Ministry with Community, Kalamazoo Gospel Mission and YWCA.

The full list of semifinalists includes: Najee Harris (Alabama), Amadeo West (Army), Elijah Hicks (California), Michael Carter II (Duke), Harry Crider (Indiana), Skylar Thompson (Kansas State), Joshua Paschal (Kentucky), Adam Shibley (Michigan), Nick Bolton (Missouri), Cameron Kinley (Navy), Lawson Hall (Nevada), Daelin Hayes (Notre Dame), Spencer Eason-Riddle (South Carolina), Talanoa Hufanga (Southern California), Kingsley Jonathan (Syracuse), Sam Ehlinger (Texas), Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), Andre Mintze (Vanderbilt), Elijah Molden (Washington) and Mike Caliendo (Western Michigan)

The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, has served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

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