The 2017 Maxwell Award watch list was released on Monday, July 10. Here are the five players that are most likely to win this prestigious award in December.
College football is still several weeks away, but the middle of July means a few things across the sport’s landscape. One of those happens to be the release of major award watch lists. On Monday, July 10, the 2017 Maxwell Award watch list was released.
The Maxwell Award honors the best all-around player in college football. It is named after Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former college football player, coach and sportswriter. The Maxwell Award has been given out every year since 1937. Its most recent winner is Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson.
It is an impressive list of many players that will likely make a name for themselves at the next level. However, there can only be one winner. Here are the five guys that have to be the favorites to win the 2017 Maxwell Award given out in December 2017.
He’s only going to be a redshirt sophomore, but the college football world and NFL scouts have their eyes all over USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold. His 2016 redshirt freshman year for the Trojans helped turn around a struggling USC program. Darnold completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,086 yards, 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his first year as a starter.
After getting completely humiliated in Week 1 against the Alabama Crimson Tide, USC head coach pulled the plug on the Max Browne experiment under center. It gave way to the Darnold era of USC football and the Trojans haven’t looked this competent at quarterback honestly since Matt Leinart was playing for Pete Carroll well over a decade ago.
Darnold will be quarterbacking the presumed favorite to win the Pac-12 in 2017. He’s shown great accuracy and power with his right arm. Though he has a bit of a loopy delivery, Darnold is not afraid to make plays with his legs. He’s probably the best quarterbacking prospect to play in the Pac-12 since Andrew Luck starred at Stanford.
Being a redshirt sophomore may hinder Darnold’s ability to win a major college football award, but he certainly has the attention of pro scouts. 2017 may not be his last year of college ball, but why would he not try to win everything under the sun for USC this fall? If you haven’t figured out who Darnold is at USC, you’re not paying attention.