It’s officially watch list SZN.

On Monday, the watch list for the 86th Maxwell Award was revealed by the Maxwell Football Club. The award is given annually to college football’s player of the year, regardless of position—though there’s only one defensive player on the preseason watch list, Alabama’s Will Anderson.

There were nine Pac-12 players featured on the 85-man list. The SEC had 16 names on the watch list, the Big Ten had 13, the ACC had 12, and the Big 12 had eight. UCLA, USC, and Utah each had multiple players named to the watch list, three of only 14 programs in the country with multiple players. Ohio State was the only team that placed more than two on the preseason watch list.

The list of Pac-12 stars named to the watch list:

  • WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona
  • QB Tanner McKee, Stanford
  • QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
  • RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
  • QB Caleb Williams, USC
  • WR Jordan Addison, USC
  • QB Cameron Rising, Utah
  • RB Tavion Thomas, Utah
  • QB Cameron Ward, Washington State

You can view the full list here.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former standout at Swarthmore College as well as a renowned sportswriter and football official.

Semifinalists for the award will be announced on the first day of November. Three finalists will then be unveiled on November 22, 2022. The winner of the award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 8, 2022. The formal presentation of the trophy will take place at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on March 10 next year.