Quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams were both named to Maxwell Award Watch List on Monday, as announced by the Maxwell Football Club, which recognizes the nation’s top player for the year.
The Maxwell Watch List is determined by a panel, coaches, sportswriters and members of the Maxwell Club as they analyze both past performance and future potential. The list is comprised of 76 total players, including Florida St. QB Jameis Winston, Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon.
Hill recorded an impressive sophomore season and set himself up as a legitimate dual-threat quarterback, finishing 3rd in QB rushing yards per game at 103.4 and 10th in total offensive yards per game at 329.4.
Williams’ numbers speak for themselves as he garnered 1,233 yards last season on the ground and is 1,448 yards away from breaking BYU’s all-time leading rush record, currently held by Harvey Unga at 3,455.
Having two offensive players on the watch list comes as great news to many cougar fans and players as BYU did not have any player on the watch list last year, much less on the offensive side of the ball, which was often a target for criticism when it came to BYU’s performance throughout the 2013 season.
‘I believe we are in a position to make a monumental step in our offensive production,” said offensive coordinator Robert Anae during Football Media Day.
While having players on the watch list is a positive sign of improvement, BYU is not unknown to the Maxwell Award. Numerous cougars have been named to the list including being the only non-power conference team to win the award in the past 40 years (Ty Detmer, 1990).
Other notable recipients of the award include Peyton Manning (1997), Drew Brees (2000), Eli Manning (2003) and Andrew Luck (2011).
The award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 11, 2014
