.png)
_edited_edited.png)
The Maxwell Football Club annually recognizes the best player in college football with the prestigious Maxwell Award. On July 29, the club released its 2024 award watch list.
Named after College Football Hall of Fame inductee Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, the award was granted for the first time in 1937.
Joey Aguilar, Quarterback, Appalachian State
From Antioch, Calif., Aguilar is the Mountaineers' 6-foot-3, 220-pound signal-caller. After playing two seasons at a community college in the San Francisco Bay Area, Aguilar transferred to Appalachian State and set a slew of single-season school records in 2023:
Passing yards: 3,757
Passing touchdowns: 33
Total yards gained: 4,002
200-plus yard passing games: 13
Pass completions: 293
He was named the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Marquez Cooper, Running Back, San Diego State
A graduate student, Cooper began his collegiate career at Kent State, then played the 2023 season at Ball State, before transferring to San Diego State. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons and has 33 career rushing touchdowns. He was named to the All-Mid-American Conference team three times.
TJ Finley, Quarterback, Western Kentucky
Finley bounced around before arriving at WKU. He began his college career at LSU in 2020, then spent two seasons at Auburn and was the starting quarterback for the Texas State Bobcats in 2023. He started five games as a freshman at LSU. In his career, he has started 24 games and thrown for 5,638 yards with 36 touchdowns. He led Texas State to a victory over the Rice Owls in the 2023 First Responder Bowl.
Miller Moss, Quarterback, USC
Moss is slated to take over the reins at USC now that Caleb Williams is off to the NFL.
In three years at USC, Moss has completed 66-of-92 of his passes (a 71.7 percent completion rate) for 914 yards and 9 touchdowns. He had a break-out performance in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, earning MVP honors after tossing 6 touchdown passes.
College Football Dawgs and Maxwell Football Club Forge Partnership
Jaydn Ott, Running Back, Cal
Ott is drawing comparisons to legendary Cal running back Marshawn Lynch. He has even been referred to as "Beast Mode 2.0." Ott was rated the nation's No. 3 running back prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle. In his first season in Berkeley, Calif., he was named to the freshman All-American team. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors last season.
In his two seasons with the Golden Bears, Ott has rushed for 2,212 yards on 46 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He has scored 20 rushing touchdowns. Ott is prominently featured in the new EA Sports College Football 25 game.
Cameron Rising, Quarterback, Utah
It seems like Rising has been at Utah forever. The 25-year-old signal caller began his college career at Texas in 2018. He redshirted and did not play a snap for the Longhorns. In 2019, he transferred to Utah and has been there ever since. He has played in three of the five seasons that he has been with the Utes. Rising missed all of last season due to injury. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 in 2021, and he was MVP of the Pac-12 championship game in 2022.
Jalen Royals, Wide Receiver, Utah State
In 2023, Royals had 1,080 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He averaged 15.2 yards per reception. From Powder Springs, Ga., Royals started his college career at the Georgia Military College and transferred to Utah State in 2022. He is a gifted athlete who was an all-state high jumper at the prep level. As a junior last year, Royals was named a College Football Network third-team All-American and earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Brayden Schager, Quarterback, Hawai'i
Schager is from Dallas and has played his entire college career with the Rainbow Warriors. He started three games as a freshman and won the starting role as a sophomore. Last year, he ranked No. 6 nationally in completions per game (25.5), No. 13 in passing yards (3,542) and No. 15 in passing touchdowns (26). He had nine passes of 50-plus yards, ranking second among all FBS quarterbacks.
Preston Stone, Quarterback, SMU
In leading the Mustangs to the championship of the American Athletic Conference in 2023, Stone threw for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns, with only 6 interceptions. He also had 4 rushing touchdowns. He broke his leg in the Mustangs' regular-season finale against Navy and consequently missed the AAC championship game and the team's bowl game. However, he is now on the mend.
Stone is a redshirt junior going into the upcoming season, in which the Mustangs are transitioning from the FBS's Group of 5 to the Power Four.
Ricky White III, Wide Receiver, UNLV
From Marietta, Ga., White began his collegiate career at Michigan State. He transferred to UNLV in 2022. During his redshirt junior campaign in Las Vegas, White racked up 1,483 receiving yards—the highest mark of any FBS receiver returning to play in 2024. He was named an Associated Press third-team All-American and is a member of the UNLV Dean's Honor List for spring 2024. Notre Dame unsuccessfully attempted to entice White to South Bend, Ind. with a $250,000 NIL package.
As an official partner of the Maxwell Football Club, College Football Dawgs is your go-to source for news concerning the prestigious Maxwell Award.
Check out who else made the Maxwell Award Watch List!
The 2024 Maxwell Award Watch List: 41-50
This article is brought to you by the Maxwell Football Club, home of the prestigious Maxwell & Chuck Bednarik Awards. Become a member of the Maxwell Football Club and gain the exclusive privilege of voting for these and other nationally-recognized awards.
With over 75 years of honoring football’s finest, the Maxwell Football Club offers you the unique opportunity to help recognize top talent from high school to the professional level. By joining, you’ll be part of a tradition that celebrates excellence and helps shape the game's future.
Be part of the excitement at the Maxwell Football Awards Gala held in March 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. At the Gala, you will experience the official presentation of the awards. Don’t miss your chance to contribute to football history. Become a member TODAY by visiting https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/jointheclub.
.png)
.png)
Comments