The Maxwell Football Club announced today that Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has been named as one of 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, presented annually to the collegiate player of the year. Klubnik ranks tied with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders for third in the nation in passing touchdowns (24), and he ranks tied for fifth nationally in touchdowns responsible for (28) alongside Sanders, Army’s Bryson Daily, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Ohio State’s Will Howard.
More information from the Maxwell Football Club is included below.
Maxwell Football Club Executive Director, Mark Wolpert, announced the 2024 semifinalists for the 88th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The lists include a field of 16 candidates for the Maxwell Award and 20 candidates for the Bednarik Award as selected by the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed statistical and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts have been added to the selection committee and have participated in the process. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete football reference in the country.
A strong field of Maxwell Award semifinalists includes representatives from 6 conferences, with the SEC boasting 5 candidates each and the Big Ten and ACC notching 3 spots each. This class of candidates which features 10 quarterbacks, 5 running backs and 1 wide receiver/athlete.
On the defensive side of the ball, the field of contenders is comprised of fresh faces with 20 players selected. 5 different conferences and 1 independent are represented, led by 9 student-athletes each from the SEC and 5 from the Big 10.
Last season, the Maxwell Award was presented to Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the Bednarik Award went to NC State linebacker Payton Wilson. Penix was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons and Wilson went to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 41st pick in the draft.
Semifinalist voting for both of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club will begin on Tuesday Nov.12 and will close on Nov. 23. Three finalists for each award will be announced on Nov. 26 and a finalist round of voting will take place at that time. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media. All semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order by school with the player’s school, position and class designated.
The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award and the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday December 12, 2024. The formal presentation of the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards will take place at the 88th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held on Friday March 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
MAXWELL AWARD SEMIFINALISTSQB Jalen Milroe, AlabamaRB Cam Skattebo, Arizona StateQB Bryson Daily, ArmyRB Ashton Jeanty, Boise StateQB Cade Klubnik, ClemsonQB Shedeur Sanders, ColoradoATH Travis Hunter, ColoradoQB Kurtis Rourke, IndianaRB Kaleb Johnson, IowaQB Cam Ward, MiamiQB Jaxson Dart, MississippiRB Omarion Hampton, North CarolinaQB Dillon Gabriel, OregonRB Dylan Sampson, TennesseeQB Quinn Ewers, TexasQB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
BEDNARIK AWARD SEMIFINALISTSLB Jihaad Campbell, AlabamaDE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston CollegeCB Nohl Williams, CaliforniaCB Travis Hunter, ColoradoS Malaki Starks, GeorgiaDE Mikail Kamara, IndianaLB Jay Higgins, IowaDE Mike Green, MarshallDT Mason Graham, MichiganS Xavier Watts, Notre DameS Caleb Downs, Ohio StateLB Chris Paul Jr., Ole MissDT Walter Nolen, Ole MissDE Abdul Carter, Penn StateED Kyle Kennard, South CarolinaED James Pearce Jr., TennesseeLB Anthony Hill Jr, TexasCB Jahdae Barron, TexasDE Nic Scourton, Texas A&MDE Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
