USC freshman long snapper Jake Olson is the eighth winner of the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion award.
Olson earned more votes than any of the other five 2016 finalists in a public online vote that lasted 16 days and saw more than 13,000 total votes cast.
The Trojans’ freshman outlasted a field of finalists that included: Penn student-athlete coach Kaleb Germinaro, Iowa State defensive end Mitchell Meyers, UCLA cornerback Marcus Rios, Liberty linebacker Zachary Schreiber and West Virginia running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider.
The Rare Disease Champion Award is presented annually by Uplifting Athletes to a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community.