The Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award has been presented annually since 2002 to the male sportsperson, irrespective of university represented or sport contested, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year of those contesting collegiate sport in the United States through the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The award serves also to replace the Best College Football Player and Best Male College Basketball Player ESPY Awards, each of which was presented annually between 1993 and 2001, inclusive.
Between 2002 and 2004, the award voting panel comprised variously fans; sportswriters and broadcasters, sports executives, and retired sportspersons, termed collectively experts; and ESPN personalities, but balloting thereafter has been exclusively by fans over the Internet from amongst choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee. The ESPY Awards ceremony is conducted in June and awards conferred reflect performance and achievement over the twelve months previous to presentation.