The 2011 John Mackey Award midseason watch list has been released by the Nassau County Sports Commission, with Kansas senior tight end Tim Biere earning a nod on the list.

Biere leads Kansas with 21 receptions on the season. He has accumulated a career-best 246 receiving yards and one touchdown. Biere, a native of Omaha, Neb., had his best outing of his career versus Oklahoma State on Oct. 8 when he set career bests with seven receptions for 93 yards and a TD. For his efforts he was named the Tight End of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards. Additionally, he was listed as an honorable mention Tight End of the Week by the CFPA for his performance against Texas Tech on Oct. 1 when he had four catches for 48 yards.

Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2011 John Mackey winner will be presented live at the Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on December 8, 2011 on ESPNU.

Other key Mackey Award dates include the announcement of the 2011 Mackey semi-finalists on November 14, 2011 and the announcement of the 2011 Mackey finalists on November 21, 2011.

The John Mackey Award midseason watch list is an update from the preseason watch list. This list is meant to draw attention to tight ends in contention for the annual award based on their performance in the first half of the active season.

— KU Sports Information —