Julian Armella, a redshirt junior offensive lineman for the UCLA football team, has been named to the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The announcement was made by The Wuerffel Foundation on Thursday.
The Wuerffel Trophy, now in its 21st year, is awarded annually to a college football player who demonstrates excellence in community service. It is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida.
Since transferring from Florida State and joining UCLA in December 2024, Armella has participated in several community service initiatives. In April, he joined teammates at a swab event for the National Marrow Donor Program and encouraged other UCLA students to become stem cell donors for blood cancer patients. In March, he visited the UCLA Lab School to read to children between ages four and twelve. Last month, Armella took part in a listening session with new UCLA Chancellor Dr. Julio Frenk as part of the athletics leadership group.
Before coming to UCLA, Armella coached and mentored children at the Kendall Boys & Girls Club in Miami, his hometown. He also assisted Florida State head coach Mike Norvell with an annual Winter Coat Drive organized with the Keep Climbing Foundation.
During his time at Florida State, Armella played in 17 games over three seasons. Last season he contributed mainly on special teams and helped kicker Ryan Fitzgerald achieve AFCA First Team All-America honors while finishing as a finalist for the Lou Groza Award. In 2023, Armella appeared as a reserve offensive lineman in six games for a Seminoles team that ended with a 13-1 record and reached the College Football Playoff. That year’s team led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring offense with an average of 34.6 points per game; running back Trey Benson scored fifteen rushing touchdowns.
As a freshman at Florida State, Armella played four games on an offense that led the ACC and ranked tenth nationally with an average of 484.2 yards per game.
Finalists and recipients of the 2025 Wuerffel Trophy will be chosen by a national voting committee that includes fan participation and will be announced during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12. The trophy presentation gala is scheduled for January 31, 2026 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
UCLA will open its football season at home against Utah on August 30 at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena at 8 p.m Pacific Time. Both single-game and season tickets are available through UCLA Athletics by phone or email.
