PHILADELPHIA — The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 85th Maxwell Award presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football, naming BYU running back Tyler Allgeier to its list of the nation's top players in 2021.
Sponsored by Mammoth Tech and The Athletes’ Corner, which are Executive Partners of the Maxwell Football Club, 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 the Swarthmore College and a renowned sports writer and football official.
Allgeier is one of 80 players recognized on the annual Maxwell Award watch list, which incorporates a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. The list features six returning semifinalists from 2020, including Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), Breece Hall (Iowa State), D’Eriq King (Miami), Sam Howell (North Carolina), and Dillon Gabriel (UCF).
Allgeier, a sophomore in eligibility after last year's Covid season, burst onto the national scene in 2020 in his first year as a starter at running back for BYU, rushing for 1,130 yards to rank No. 8 in the nation and No. 1 among players with 150 attempts or less. One of 14 sophomores named to the watch list, Allgeier received 2020 Phil Steele All-America honorable mention after helping BYU go 11-1 and finish ranked No. 11 last season. The 5-11, 220-pound back ranked No. 3 nationally for the most runs of 30 or more yards while averaging 7.53 yards per carry, which was No. 7 in the country and tops among all sophomores.
A native of Fontana, California, Allgeier scored 13 touchdowns, including an 86-yard gallop at Boise State, to achieve the eighth-best single-season touchdown total in BYU history and rank No. 10 in the nation for rushing scores last year. He added 14 receptions for 174 yards as a receiver, averaging 12.4 yards per catch, while his 118.5 all-purpose yards per game was tops for BYU in 2020.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 1, 2021, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 22, 2021. The winners of the 2021 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 9, 2021. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2022.
Last year, DeVonta Smith (Alabama) won the 2020 Maxwell Award among finalists Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Mac Jones (Alabama). All three moved on to NFL this year.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF), XOS ThunderCloud and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and 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. XOS ThunderCloud provides the Maxwell Club selection committee with access to game footage from all FBS colleges.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
ABOUT MAMMOTH TECH - Mammoth Tech is one of America’s most versatile outsourcing companies. Their clients have included a Top-10 Global Restaurant Company, a Top-15 U.S. Healthcare System with over 80,000 employees, and they’re currently one of 13 companies holding the United States Department of Education Default Collection Services Contract. Since being founded in 1964, Mammoth has developed a coast-to-coast presence with approximately 500 employees spanning 6 corporate locations and 7 subcontractor locations. They believe in building up the communities where people work, which is why many of their locations are in HUB Zones or economically-distressed Opportunity Zones. Mammoth lives by a “People-First” mentality, as they help businesses of all sizes achieve maximum efficiency and productivity.
ABOUT THE ATHLETES’ CORNER – The Athletes’ Corner works with professional athletes and teams to strengthen families who are struggling mentally, physically, and spiritually - all through the vehicle of sports. Partnering with Feeding America®, they launched an initiative called ‘The Athletes’ Corner vs. Hunger’, which has already provided 1.7 million meals to hungry families since November 1st, 2020.
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, Mammoth Tech and the Athletes’ Corner. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.