2018 Maxwell Award Watchlist: Five Mountain West Players Make Cut
Three quarterbacks and one running back
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Could a Mountain West player win?
Awards season is here and it starts off with the Maxwell Award which goes to the College Player of the Year — not to be confused with the Heisman which goes to the nation’s “most outstanding player.”
The complete list has 86 total players and five of those come from the Mountain West.
For a team from the Mountain West, or a Group of Five league, it will take a one of a kind season by the player and the team to be in the mix for a New Year’s Six game.
Getting five teams from the Mountain West is a big deal and it only trails the American, which had six players, from the Group of Five.
The one big surprise on the list from the Mountain West is UNLV QB Armani Rogers. He had a fairly solid redshirt sophomore year but nothing to write home about but the potential is there.
Among the Mountain West players, this is the likely order of any of them winning the award.
- Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State
- Juwan Washington, RB, San Diego State
- Marcus McMaryion, QB, Fresno State
- Ty Gangi, QB, Nevada
- Armani Rogers, QB, UNLV
There are six semifinalists from last year’s list who made the preseason cut: Jalen Hurts, Khalil Tate, Nick Fitzgerald, Bryce Love, McKenzie Milton and Jonathan Taylor.
Alabama and Clemson lead all schools in candidates on the list with three each.
Here is the full watch list.
