The Maxwell Football Club announced today that Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and wide receiver Justyn Ross have been named to the Maxwell Award watch list, while defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and safety Nolan Turner have been named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award. Full watch lists and additional information from the Maxwell Football Club are attached and included below.
The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch lists for the 85th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football, and for the 27th annual Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football. Both awards are proudly sponsored by Mammoth Tech and The Athletes’ Corner, which are Executive Partners of the Maxwell Football Club.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell who was a former standout at the Swarthmore College and a renowned sports writer and football official.
The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, and will feature fresh faces, as 2020 winner DeVonta Smith (Alabama) and finalists Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Mac Jones (Alabama) have all moved on to the NFL.
The list features six returning semifinalists from 2020 including Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), Breece Hall (Iowa State), D’Eriq King (Miami), Sam Howell (North Carolina), and Dillon Gabriel (UCF). The full list consists of 80 players, with 14 schools having two players represented.
Smith joins A.J. McCarron, Derrick Henry and Tua Tagovailoa as the fourth Crimson Tide player to be selected as the Maxwell Award winner. He was chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.
The Bednarik Award watch list is comprised of 90 candidates on the defensive side of the ball. Last year’s winner Zaven Collins (Tulsa) and fellow finalists Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Notre Dame) and Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) have all moved on to the NFL. The list features two returning semifinalists from 2020, Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati) and Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame). There are 11 schools that have two candidates on the Bednarik watch list.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF), XOS ThunderCloud and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine. XOS ThunderCloud provides the Maxwell Club selection committee with access to game footage from all FBS colleges.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 1, 2021, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 22, 2021. The winners of the 2021 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 9, 2021. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2022.
2021 MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST
RB Brian Robinson, Alabama
WR John Metchie, Alabama
RB Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State
QB Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas
QB Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State
QB Bo Nix, Auburn
RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn
WR Khalil Shakir, Boise State
QB Phil Jurkovec, Boston College
WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
RB Kevin Marks, Buffalo
RB Tyler Allgeier, BYU
QB Chris Reynolds, Charlotte
QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
QB D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson
WR Justyn Ross, Clemson
QB Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
RB Mataeo Durant, Duke
QB Preston Hutchinson, Eastern Michigan
QB McKenzie Milton, Florida State
RB Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
QB JT Daniels, Georgia
QB Michael Penix, Indiana
WR Ty Fryfogle, Indiana
RB Tyler Goodson, Iowa
QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State
RB Breece Hall, Iowa State
QB Skylar Thompson, Kansas State
RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
QB Dustin Crum, Kent State
RB Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky
QB Malik Willis, Liberty
QB Levi Lewis, Louisiana
QB Malik Cunningham, Louisville
WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU
QB Grant Wells, Marshall
QB Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
WR Calvin Austin, Memphis
QB D’Eriq King, Miami
QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
RB Zonovan Knight, NC State
QB Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
QB Carson Strong, Nevada
WR Romeo Doubs, Nevada
QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
RB Kyren Williams, Notre Dame
WR Chris Olave, Ohio State
WR Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
WR Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
RB Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
WR Jahan Dotson, Penn State
QB Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
WR David Bell, Purdue
RB Greg Bell, San Diego State
QB Nick Starkel, San Jose State
RB Ulysses Bentley, SMU
WR Reggie Roberson, SMU
WR Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
RB Kevin Harris, South Carolina
RB Frank Gore, Southern Miss
RB Austin Jones, Stanford
QB Max Duggan, TCU
RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
RB Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
WR Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech
QB Dillon Gabriel, UCF
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
QB Kedon Slovis, USC
QB Charlie Brewer, Utah
RB Sincere McCormick, UTSA
QB Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
WR Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest
QB Jarret Doege, West Virginia
RB Leddie Brown, West Virginia
QB Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan
RB Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
2021 BEDNARIK AWARD WATCH LIST
LB Will Anderson, Alabama
CB Josh Jobe, Alabama
DE Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State
CB Shaun Jolly, Appalachian State
CB Chase Lucas, Arizona State
LB Grant Morgan, Arkansas
S Jalen Catalon, Arkansas
LB Zakoby McClain, Auburn
DB Jalen Pitre, Baylor
LB Terrel Bernard, Baylor
LB James Patterson, Buffalo
LB Cameron Goode, Cal
DE Troy Hairston, Central Michigan
LB Troy Brown, Central Michigan
DE Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
CB Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
S Nolan Turner, Clemson
DE Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina
LB Nate Landman, Colorado
DE Scott Patchan, Colorado State
DT Travis Jones, Connecticut
CB Kaiir Elam, Florida
LB Amari Gainer, Florida State
DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia
CB Derrick Canteen, Georgia Southern
LB Darius Muasau, Hawaii
CB Marcus Jones, Houston
LB Jake Hansen, Illinois
LB Micah McFadden, Indiana
CB Tiawan Mullen, Indiana
DE Will McDonald, Iowa State
LB Mike Rose, Iowa State
DE Durrell Johnson, Liberty
S Bralen Trahan, Louisiana
LB Tyler Grubbs, Louisiana Tech
CB Derek Stingley, LSU
CB Eli Ricks, LSU
S Quindell Johnson, Memphis
S Bubba Bolden, Miami
DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
S Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee
CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
DE Trajan Jeffcoat, Missouri
LB Diego Fagot, Navy
LB Payton Wilson, NC State
LB Lawson Hall, Nevada
LB Jeremiah Gemmel, North Carolina
S Brandon Joseph, Northwestern
S Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame
DT Haskell Garrett, Ohio State
DE Zach Harrison, Ohio State
LB Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
DE Isaiah Thomas, Oklahoma
LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
S Kolby Harvell-Peel, Oklahoma State
DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
LB Avery Roberts, Oregon State
S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
DT Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh
DE George Karlaftis, Purdue
LB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
DE Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
LB Caden McDonald, San Diego State
DE Cade Hall, San Jose State
DE Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina
DE Ochaun Mathis, TCU
CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
DT Keondre Coburn, Texas
DE DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
LB Colin Schooler, Texas Tech
DT Desjuan Johnson, Toledo
LB Carlton Martial, Troy
LB Dorian Williams, Tulane
DT Jaxon Player, Tulsa
LB Kris Moll, UAB
LB Drake Jackson, USC
LB Devin Lloyd, Utah
LB Justin Rice, Utah State
DE Praise Amaewhule, UTEP
S Rashad Wisdom, UTSA
LB Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
CB Trent McDuffie, Washington
DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
DE DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky
DT Ralph Holley, Western Michigan
LB Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
LB Chad Muma, Wyoming
