Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders named to Maxwell Award watch list

When it comes to the Maxwell Award, the college football player who usually ends up hearing their name called as the best player in the nation at the end of the year is usually a quarterback.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders hopes it’s him this year.

Sanders was named to the Maxwell Award watch list on July 29 — one of 16 players from the Big 12 and one of 80 from around the country on the list.

From Bleacher Repor t: “Sanders could be in line for another strong season after setting a Colorado school record with 3,230 passing yards in 2023. He also racked up 27 touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions even though the Buffaloes finished with a record of just 4-8 after a promising 4-2 start to the season.”

Sanders is no stranger to postseason honors. In 2021, he won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in FCS while playing for Jackson State. In 2022, Sanders was the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and won the Deacon Jones Trophy as the nation's top HBCU player.

In the last 10 years, quarterbacks have won the Maxwell Award all but two years, with Alabama running back Derrick Henry winning in 2015 and Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith winning in 2020. Both players went on to win the Heisman Trophy.