The Maxwell Football Club announced today that running back Will Shipley has been named as one of 85 candidates on the watch list for the Maxwell Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 87th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. 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 Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter 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, led by Caleb Williams (USC) who was the 2022 winner. Williams is joined by 7 additional returning semifinalists, Brock Bowers – Georgia, Drake Maye – North Carolina, Marvin Harrison Jr. – Ohio State, Bo Nix – Oregon, Cameron Rising – Utah, Michael Penix Jr. – Washington and Blake Corum – Michigan. The full list consists of 85 players with 16 schools having two players represented.
Williams joined O.J Simpson, Charles White and Marcus Allen, as the fourth Trojan player to be selected as the Maxwell Award winner.
| First Name | Last Name | University | Class Year | Position |
| Alex | Adams | Akron | Junior | WR |
| Jase | McClellan | Alabama | Junior | RB |
| Nate | Noel | Appalachian State | Junior | RB |
| Jayden | de Laura | Arizona | Junior | QB |
| Jacob | Cowing | Arizona | Senior | WR |
| KJ | Jefferson | Arkansas | Senior | QB |
| Raheim | Sanders | Arkansas | Junior | RB |
| Marquez | Cooper | Ball State | Junior | RB |
| Richard | Reese | Baylor | Sophomore | RB |
| Taylen | Green | Boise State | Sophomore | QB |
| George | Holani | Boise State | Senior | RB |
| Kedon | Slovis | BYU | Senior | QB |
| Aidan | Robbins | BYU | Junior | RB |
| Jaydn | Ott | Cal | Sophomore | RB |
| Will | Shipley | Clemson | Junior | RB |
| Grayson | McCall | Coastal Carolina | Senior | QB |
| Shedeur | Sanders | Colorado | Junior | QB |
| Tory | Horton | Colorado State | Senior | WR |
| Riley | Leonard | Duke | Junior | QB |
| Samson | Evans | Eastern Michigan | Senior | RB |
| Ricky | Pearsall | Florida | Senior | WR |
| Larry | McCammon | Florida Atlantic | Senior | RB |
| Jordan | Travis | Florida State | Senior | QB |
| Trey | Benson | Florida State | Junior | RB |
| Brock | Bowers | Georgia | Junior | TE |
| Jalen | White | Georgia Southern | Senior | RB |
| Darren | Grainger | Georgia State | Senior | QB |
| Matthew | Golden | Houston | Sophomore | WR |
| Isaiah | Williams | Illinois | Junior | WR |
| Cade | McNamara | Iowa | Senior | QB |
| Devin | Neal | Kansas | Junior | RB |
| Jalon | Daniels | Kansas | Junior | QB |
| Will | Howard | Kansas State | Senior | QB |
| Devin | Leary | Kentucky | Senior | QB |
| Jack | Plummer | Louisville | Senior | QB |
| Jayden | Daniels | LSU | Senior | QB |
| Malik | Nabers | LSU | Junior | WR |
| Taulia | Tagovailoa | Maryland | Senior | QB |
| Seth | Henigan | Memphis | Junior | QB |
| J.J. | McCarthy | Michigan | Junior | QB |
| Blake | Corum | Michigan | Senior | RB |
| Will | Rogers | Mississippi State | Senior | QB |
| Diego | Pavia | New Mexico State | Senior | QB |
| Drake | Maye | North Carolina | Sophomore | QB |
| Sam | Hartman | Notre Dame | Senior | QB |
| Kurtis | Rourke | Ohio | Senior | QB |
| Marvin | Harrison Jr. | Ohio State | Junior | WR |
| Emeka | Egbuka | Ohio State | Junior | WR |
| Dillon | Gabriel | Oklahoma | Senior | QB |
| Quinshon | Judkins | Ole Miss | Sophomore | RB |
| Bo | Nix | Oregon | Senior | QB |
| Damien | Martinez | Oregon State | Sophomore | RB |
| Nicholas | Singleton | Penn State | Sophomore | RB |
| Phil | Jurkovec | Pitt | Senior | QB |
| Hudson | Card | Purdue | Junior | QB |
| Chevan | Cordeiro | San Jose State | Senior | QB |
| Carter | Bradley | South Alabama | Senior | QB |
| La’Damian | Webb | South Alabama | Senior | RB |
| Spencer | Rattler | South Carolina | Senior | QB |
| Antwane | Wells | South Carolina | Senior | WR |
| Frank | Gore, Jr. | Southern Miss | Junior | RB |
| Garrett | Shrader | Syracuse | Senior | QB |
| Oronde | Gadsden | Syracuse | Junior | TE |
| Chandler | Morris | TCU | Sophomore | QB |
| E.J. | Warner | Temple | Sophomore | QB |
| Joe | Milton | Tennessee | Senior | QB |
| Quinn | Ewers | Texas | Sophomore | QB |
| Xavier | Worthy | Texas | Junior | WR |
| Tyler | Shough | Texas Tech | Senior | QB |
| Dequan | Finn | Toledo | Junior | QB |
| Michael | Pratt | Tulane | Junior | QB |
| Jermaine | Brown | UAB | Senior | RB |
| John Rhys | Plumlee | UCF | Senior | QB |
| Caleb | Williams | USC | Junior | QB |
| Cameron | Rising | Utah | Senior | QB |
| Frank | Harris | UTSA | Senior | QB |
| Will | Sheppard | Vanderbilt | Senior | WR |
| Donavon | Greene | Wake Forest | Junior | WR |
| Rome | Odunze | Washington | Junior | WR |
| Michael | Penix Jr. | Washington | Senior | QB |
| Cameron | Ward | Washington State | Junior | QB |
| Austin | Reed | Western Kentucky | Senior | QB |
| Malachi | Corley | Western Kentucky | Junior | WR |
| Tanner | Mordecai | Wisconsin | Senior | QB |
| Braelon | Allen | Wisconsin | Junior | RB |
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publicationsas selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with 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.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 28, 2023. The winners of the 87th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.
Questions concerning the 2023 Maxwell & Bednarik Award watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiellorcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Ivy Rehab, SAFR, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS – PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 24 awards have honored more than900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2023 preseason watch list calendar:
Mon., July 31: Maxwell Award
Tue., Aug. 1: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., Aug. 2: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Thu., Aug. 3: Paul Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., Aug. 4: Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
Mon., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award
Tue., Aug. 8: Davey O’Brien Award
Wed., Aug. 9: Doak Walker Award
Thu., Aug. 10: Butkus Award/Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Fri., Aug. 11: Walter Camp Award
Mon., Aug. 14: Bednarik Award
