College football’s watch list season is officially underway with the release of the Maxwell Award. The Maxwell Football Club released the initial watch list for this year’s Maxwell Award on Monday with a collection of some of the nation’s top college football players. Building off his huge freshman season that won him the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award, Penn State running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] has been named to the Maxwell Award watch list for the 2023 season.
The Maxwell Award is presented to the nation’s top college football player by the Maxwell Football Club. There are around 80 players on the preseason watch list.
Singleton is among 22 running backs who made the Maxwell watch list. The last winner from Penn State was running back Larry Johnson, who won the award in 2002.
Penn State has a storied history with the award with seven all-time winners, which is tied for the most Maxwell Award winners by a single school with Notre Dame.
Singleton is coming off a brilliant freshman season for the Nittany Lions. The former Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year set a Penn State freshman record with 12 rushing touchdowns and rushed for 1,061 yards. Singleton was the third freshman in Penn State history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He also returned 14 kickoffs for 349 yards and a touchdown.
🏈@PennStateFball's Nicholas Singleton (@NickSingletonn) has been named to the 2023 #MaxwellAward watch list.#MaxwellFootball pic.twitter.com/ZNMPCztyqM
— Maxwell Football (@MaxwellFootball) July 31, 2023
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Last year’s Maxwell Award was won by USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The last Big Ten player to win the Maxwell Award was Penn State running back Larry Johnson in 2022.
Johnson was Penn State’s seventh all-time Maxwell Award winner. He joined Kerry Collins (1994), Chuck Fusina (1978), John Cappelletti (1973), Mike Reid (1969), Glenn Ressler (1964), and Richie Lucas (1959).
The Maxwell Award is one of the longest-running individual awards in college football. The first Maxwell Award was presented in 1937 to Clint Frank of Yale.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be named on November 13. From that group, three finalists will be named on November 28. The winner of the Maxwell Award will be announced at the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 7.
Multiple Maxwell Award Winners by School
- Penn State, Notre Dame – 7
- Alabama – 5
- Navy, Ohio State, Texas, USC – 4
- Army, Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania – 3
- Georgia, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Stanford – 2
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