Rutgers Wide Receiver Brandon Coleman Nominated to Allstate Good Works Team

Rutgers University junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman is one of a record 150 college football players nominated to the 2013 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Rutgers announced last week.

The award recognizes players at all levels of the sport for their contributions to the community and off-the-field achievements.

Coleman, of Acokeek, Md., is being recognized for his participation in Read Across America, Port Reading Saints Pop Warner, Metuchen Middle School Anti-Bullying Campaign, Athletes in Action, Urban Impact, Hurricane Irene cleanup and Special Olympics New Jersey, according to the University.

He also visited Haiti following the earthquake in 2010. He helped in the recovery process by participating in the construction of a church and mentoring young children, according to the University.

“Volunteering and performing community service has been ingrained into me since a young age,” Coleman said in a prepared statement. “My parents would take me to soup kitchens and we would go on school trips to help whenever we could. It has been a habit and I didn’t want to stop once I arrived at Rutgers. The feeling of helping others is truly rewarding. I plan on continuing to volunteer once I leave here as well.”

On the field last season, Coleman tied a Rutgers school record with 10 touchdown catches, and is currently fifth on the school's career touchdown catches list with 16.

He led the team with 718 receiving yards, and was named second team all-Big East, according to scarletknights.com.

For 2013, he's on the Biletnikoff Watchlist, and has been selected preseason third team all-American by The Sporting News and a preseason first-team all-conference selection by Phil Steele and Athlon.

Sports Information Directors across the country submitted nominees 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 2013 Good Works Team. The team will be unveiled in September, the University said.

It will be made up of 11 players from the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, and 11 members from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and the NAIA.

“Through their commitment to service and helping others, this impressive group of student-athletes has shown that ‘good works’ extend beyond the football field,” said Allstate Southern Region Field Senior Vice President Cynthia Whitfield, a member of the voting panel. “The positive impact these young athletes have on their communities is an inspiration to us all and another reason to celebrate the good happening in our communities.”

Click here to view the official release and complete list of nominees.