NEW YORK, N.Y. – A dream season for Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms was capped at the famed New York Athletic Club for the presentation of the 2022 Asa S. Bushnell Cup. Grooms, who guided Yale to an outright Ivy League championship, was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the 12th Bulldog to win the coveted Bushnell Cup.
 
"I am extremely honored," said Grooms, who delivered an eloquent acceptance speech, during which he thanked Athletic Director Victoria M. "Vicky" Chun, Head Coach Tony Reno, Offensive Coordinator Kevin Cahill and his family, who all were in attendance at the ceremony. "This is the closest team I've ever been a part of. The relationships I've made, I'll never forget."
 
Grooms, a junior from Lake Wylie, S.C., excelled both with his legs and his arm. He finished second in the league in rushing with 726 yards and also threw for 1,660 yards. He accounted for 20 total touchdowns with 14 through the air and six by way of the ground. His top rushing performance came against Princeton when he carried 20 times for 152 yards, and his top passing game came against Columbia when he threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns.
 
"It is truly an honor to coach Nolan," said Reno, The Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "All he thought about all year was the team. He is an extraordinary player and even better teammate. Nolan was the catalyst of our team. He played his best in the games that really mattered."
 
Harvard running back Aidan Borguet was the other offensive finalist.
 
Harvard defensive lineman Truman Jones and Princeton linebacker Liam Johnson shared the Defensive Player of the Year award.
 
The last Bulldog to win the Bushnell Cup was quarterback Kurt Rawlings in 2019.
 
Presented annually since 1970, The Asa S. Bushnell Cup honors its namesake, a 1921 Princeton alumnus and the commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference from 1938 to 1970. The Bushnell Cup is awarded by a vote of the Ivy League's eight head football coaches to the players who display outstanding qualities of leadership, competitive spirit, contribution to the team and accomplishments on the field.
 
From 1970 to 2010, the Bushnell Cup recognized an Ivy League Player of the Year (or co-Players of the Year if there was a tie in voting). Beginning with the 2010 season, the award was presented as part of the festivities surrounding the NFF Annual Awards Dinner with four finalists named a week prior to the presentation. Beginning with the 2011 season, the award began recognizing Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, honoring each as a recipient of the Bushnell Cup.