CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with 20 players named to the watch list for the 88th Maxwell Award, The Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday, July 29. The ACC boasts 20 candidates, followed by the SEC (15), Big12 (15) and Big10 (12).
The Maxwell Award has been presented annually to the College Player of the Year since 1937. The award is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
The full list consists of 80 players, with Miami leading the way with three candidates, while Clemson, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Virginia Tech have two players each.
A total of 14 different ACC teams had at least one player named on the preseason watch list, while 10 of the 41 quarterbacks named to the Player of the Year watch list hail from the ACC, tied for the most among all conferences.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winner of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 14, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
ACC Representatives on the Maxwell Award Watch List:
Name, School, Class, Position
Thomas Castellanos, Boston College, Junior, QB
Jaydn Ott, Cal, Junior, RB
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, Junior, QB
Phil Mafah, Clemson, Senior, RB
Jordan Moore, Duke, Senior, WR
DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State, Senior, QB
Haynes King, Georgia Tech, Junior, QB
Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech, Junior, RB
Tyler Shough, Louisville, Senior, QB
Damien Martinez, Miami, Junior, RB
Xavier Restrepo, Miami, Senior, WR
Cam Ward, Miami, Senior, QB
Grayson McCall, NC State, Senior, QB
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina, Junior, RB
Preston Stone, SMU, Junior, QB
Elic Ayomanor, Stanford, Sophomore, WR
Kyle McCord, Syracuse, Senior, QB
LeQuint Allen, Syracuse, Junior, RB
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech, Junior, QB
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech, Senior, RB
ACC Notes
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The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks, with the return of full-time starters Thomas Castellanos at Boston College, Cade Klubnik at Clemson, Grayson Loftis at Duke, Haynes King at Georgia Tech, Preston Stone at SMU, and Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech, and transfers DJ Uiagalelei at Florida State, Tyler Shough at Louisville, Cam Ward at Miami, Grayson McCall at NC State, and Kyle McCord at Syracuse among others.
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ACC had 10 quarterbacks named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, no other conference had more.
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ACC has the top-ranked group of quarterback transfers in 2024 by CBS Sports.
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13 QBs in the league enter the 2024 season with over 20 career touchdown passes and 3,500 career passing yards.
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Eight quarterbacks from ACC schools are projected to start Week 1 in the 2024 NFL season — 25 percent of NFL teams.
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Since 2018, the ACC has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts — the only conference to do that.
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The ACC’s non-conference schedule continues to be the most challenging in the country.
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27 games against Power 4 opponents, including Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
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Nine non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2023 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most of any conference.
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10 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25, the most of any conference.
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ACC Features Elite Coaching Leadership
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Six ACC head coaches were named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl, no other conference had more.
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Two of the three active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC – Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
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The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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 the NCFAA
Founded in 1997, the National College Football Awards Association includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.
About the ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 72nd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia…
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