The Maxwell Football Club announced today that Clemson running back Travis Etienne, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and wide receiver Justyn Ross have been named to the Maxwell Award watch list, while linebacker Isaiah Simmons and defensive end Xavier Thomas have been named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award. Full watch lists and additional information from the Maxwell Football Club are included below.
Maxwell Watch List (PDF) | Bednarik Watch List (PDF)
(Via Maxwell Football Club) The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch lists for the 83rd annual Maxwell Award and the 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell’s contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, 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 watch lists will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. The reigning 2018 Maxwell Award winner Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) heads the 2019 list with a slew of 2018 semifinalists returning; including AJ Dillon (Boston College), Travis Etienne (Clemson), Laviska Shenault (Colorado), D’Eriq King (Houston), Ian Book (Notre Dame), Justin Herbert (Oregon), Rondale Moore (Purdue), Zack Moss (Utah) and Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin). Alabama and Clemson lead the pack with three Maxwell Award candidates each as the season approaches.
The Chuck Bednarik Award watch list features fresh faces, as 2018 winner Josh Allen (Kentucky) and finalists Quinnen Williams (Alabama) and Christian Wilkins (Clemson) have all moved on to the NFL. The lone returning semifinalist Grant Delpit (LSU) will be joined by a talented group of defensive candidates from conferences across America, with Alabama, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Fresno State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse, TCU, Utah and Utah State all boasting multiple candidates.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced Oct. 29, 2019, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled Nov. 25, 2019. The winners of the 2019 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12, 2019. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala on March 13, 2020.
