DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America is very excited and pleased to announce it has secured a sponsor for its 2016 Freshman All-America Team – Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy.

The 16th annual 2016 FWAA Freshman All-America Team, presented by Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy, will be announced at the association’s Annual Awards Breakfast on Jan. 9, 2017, at the College Football Playoff Media Hotel in Tampa, Fla. The FWAA’s First-Year Coach Award will also be revealed at that tifwaalogobigme.

"The FWAA Freshman All-America team is pleased to have Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy on board as our sponsor," said 2007 FWAA President Mike Griffith, who has administered the FWAA Freshman Team since its inception.

"The camp, now in its 12th year, is a good representation of how prospective collegiate football student-athletes should be shaped and developed, with its emphasis on community and class room as well as football expertise," said Griffith, a senior reporter/analyst with SECcountry.com.

Sound Mind Sound Body was established in Detroit in 2004 with the goal of increasing the number of youth who advance to colleges on scholarships, both academic and athletic.

Several of the nations top high school student-athletes have attended SMSB camps, including former FWAA Freshman All-Americas Malik McDowell of Michigan State and Devin Funchess of Michigan. Others include Jourdan Lewis of Michigan and 2015 Jim Thorpe Award winner and 2015 FWAA All-America Desmond King of Iowa.

"The Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy presented by Adidas is honored to announce its partnership with the Football Writers Association of America," said Curtis Blackwell, the Academy’s co-founder. "Our partnership with the FWAA Freshman All-America team represents SMSB setting the bar for our campers to reach for the highest goals in their collegiate careers. The FWAA Freshman All-American team has been the first stop for several who have gone on to achieve greatness."

The SMSB program will expand in 2017 and touch nearly 10,000 students. Camps will be held in Detroit, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, Tampa, Charlotte, New Orleans, New York, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago and Ohio.

The FWAA’s Freshman Team is selected by a 10-person panel of nationally-prominent writers who represent each of the FBS conferences. Both true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are considered for the team. The pool of coaches for the First-Year Coach Award consists of those who are coaching in their first year at a school.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.