PROVO, Utah — The Maxwell Football Club today named BYU quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams to its watch list for the 78th annual Maxwell Award, which recognizes the nation’s top player.
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 as a player, a sportswriter and an official.
Hill, a junior from Poctaello, Idaho, was named the 2013 College Sports Madness Independent Offensive Player of the Year after recording 2,938 passing yards and 1,344 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished second only to the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in total offensive yards by a BYU sophomore quarterback.
Williams, a California native, tallied 1,233 rushing yards on 217 carries for seven touchdowns as a sophomore after setting true freshman rushing records in 2012. The junior running back was named to the FBS, Phil Steele and College Sports Madness All-Independent First Teams in 2013.
Hill and Williams are two of 30 juniors named to the prestigious watch list, which incorporates a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. Last year’s Maxwell Award finalist Florida State QB Jameis Winston headlines the list along with returning 2013 semifinalists Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon, Oregon State QB Sean Mannion, Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and Baylor QB Bryce Petty.
Alabama has four players on the list while three athletes represent Florida State, Baylor, Oregon, Arizona State and USC. BYU is one of 13 programs with two players represented on the list.
Last season, Alabama QB AJ McCarron won the Maxwell Award. McCarron was drafted in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals in this year’s NFL Draft.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 3, 2014, while the three finalists will be unveiled November 24, 2014. The winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 11, 2014. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Revel Casino Hotel Atlantic City on March 6, 2015.
The watch list candidates have been chosen by the Maxwell Football Club's selection committee, which analyzes both past performance and future potential. The Club reserves the right to make additions and deletions to these lists as the 2014 season unfolds. All members of the Maxwell Football Club, NCAA sports information directors, FBS head coaches and selected national media are eligible to vote for the awards.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast 699 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more.