It’s officially preseason awards watchlist season and the Big Ten is well-represented on this year’s Maxwell Award preseason watchlist. This year, the 88th Maxwell Award will be given to the most outstanding college football player. The award has been presented to the college football player of the year since 1937. It’s named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a standout at Swarthmore College and renowned sportswriter and official.
This year, a dozen Big Ten players landed on the list, the fewest from any Power 4 conference. Ohio State is tied with Miami (FL) with the most at three each.
A Dozen from the Big Ten Land on the Maxwell Award Watchlist for 2024
A Trio of Buckeyes
Ohio State’s roster is full of top-level players and the Maxwell Award committee sees it. Emeka Egbuka is a fourth-year receiver for the Buckeyes. He was hampered by injuries last year en route to a 41-catch, 515-yard campaign with four touchdowns. The year prior, however, is the source of all of the hype. In his first season of full-time duties, Egbuka hauled in 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Buckeyes. He’s well within range of breaking a long-standing career receiving yards program record. With an unproven supporting cast, Egbuka looks to have another strong season.
A pair of transfers are with Egbuka in Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins. Howard is set to take over at quarterback after spending the last four seasons with the Kansas State Wildcats. In his time, he finished with 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns with KSU and helped lead his team to the Big 12 Championship two years ago. Judkins, on the other hand, has proven to be a cheat code in EA Sports’ College Football 25 game. He’s set to be part of a top-tier one-two punch alongside TreVeyon Henderson. A two-time First-Team All-SEC running back, Judkins comes to Ohio State with 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Two from Oregon
The Oregon Ducks come to the Big Ten ready to compete for not just the conference but the whole thing. They landed a pair of players on the Maxwell Award shortlist. First is transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. For the past few years, Gabriel has been one of the more productive quarterbacks in the nation. He’s thrown for over 3,100 yards four times already, totally a mind-boggling 14,865 yards and 125 touchdowns between three years at UCF and two at Oklahoma.
His top target will be Tez Johnson, the fifth-year playmaking receiver. As the number-two receiver a year ago, Johnson broke out to the tune of 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns. He set the Oregon program record with 86 receptions. Before that, he spent three years at Troy and amassed 1,809 yards and eight scores.
A Pair of Nittany Lions
Not many programs are set to benefit as much as Penn State. In the James Franklin era, the Nittany Lions have been right behind Ohio State and Michigan and it hasn’t been due to a lack of talent. This year, they have a pair of offensive playmakers on the Maxwell Award watchlist.
To start, quarterback Drew Allar is back to take another step forward in his development. Last year was his first as a starter for Penn State and while he may have struggled here and there, he finished with 2,631 yards and 35 touchdowns in an offense that prioritizes running the football. Speaking of running the ball, Allar ran the ball 76 times for 206 yards and four scores last year.
With Allar in the backfield, the Nittany Lions have a two-headed monster at running back. However, only Nicholas Singleton was named to the shortlist this year. Both he and Kaytron Allen have been two of the best in the Big Ten in their two years. Singleton had a massive freshman year and took a step back last year. In total, Singleton comes into his junior season with 1,813 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
A Couple of West Coast Quarterbacks
USC and Washington are set to begin Big Ten play this Fall and both of these quarterbacks landed on the Maxwell Award watchlist on Monday. To start, filling in for the first-overall pick is going to be a tall task. If the Holiday Bowl was any indication, Miller Moss will be enough for the Trojans. Moss has been biding his time behind Caleb Williams and has only appeared in 12 games for USC in his career. However, his 376-yard, six-touchdown performance has made those in the know believers.
Will Rogers is going to be an interesting addition to the Jedd Fisch offense up in Washington. Rogers’ name is all over the history books for his time at Mississippi State. He led the nation with 505 completions in 2021 and 415 in 2022. His 73.9 completion percentage led the way in 2021 as well. Rogers leaves MSU with three SEC career records: completions (1,301), attempts (1,876), and completion percentage (69.3). With 246 completions in 2024, he can surpass Case Keenum as the all-time leader.
Run. The. Ball.
Finally, the Big Ten is known for its running backs and they have quite the class this year. In addition to Judkins and Singleton, three others landed on the Maxwell Award watchlist.
Donovan Edwards may not have been the back he was in 2022, but he’s easily one of the top running backs in the conference. In that 2022 season, he ran for 991 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, he had just 393 yards and three scores heading into the College Football Playoff National Championship. There, he reminded what he could do with a 104-yard, two-touchdown game to win it. Now that Corum is gone, Edwards is finally the lead back at Michigan.
Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai is considered to be the top returning running back according to PFF. Considering his Big Ten-leading 1,262 yards and eight scores from a year ago, it makes sense. It was his first shot at being the lead back for the Scarlet Knights and he took full advantage. Monangai is expected to Rutgers back to bowl eligibility yet again this year.
Easily the youngest player from the Big Ten on the Maxwell Award watchlist is sophomore running back, Darius Taylor. The Minnesota running back room was a mess a year ago due to injuries but Taylor stepped up. In his first collegiate season, Taylor ran for 799 yards and five touchdowns for the Golden Gophers. That room is quite a bit more crowded this year but Taylor is the sure-fire leader and is expected to have another solid season.
