SOUTHAMPTON, Penn. - The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 86th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football.
Miami QB Brett Gabbert, Toledo QB Dequan Finn, Eastern Michigan WR Hassan Beydoun, Kent State RB Marquez Cooper, Central Michigan RB Lew Nichols III, and Western Michigan RB Sean Tyler represent the Mid-American Conference on this season’s watch list.
Last season Gabbert earned third-team All-MAC accolades, throwing for 2,648 yards and 26 touchdowns in 10 starts. The junior, who was also named Academic All-MAC, threw just six interceptions in 299 attempts. He recorded 492 passing yards (third-most in school history) to go along with five touchdowns at Ohio and finished with 351 passing yards and four scores in a win over Buffalo. His 843 passing yards in consecutive games was the most in a two-game span in program history.
As a redshirt freshman last season, Finn took over the starting quarterback duties at mid-season and threw for 2,067 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also ran for 505 yards and nine TDs.
Selected to both the Athlon Sports and Phil Steele as a Preseason First Team All-MAC selection in 2022, Beydoun is coming off a historic 2021 campaign that saw him collect Second Team All-MAC honors. He set the EMU record for receptions in a season and led the MAC with 97 grabs, as he racked up 1,015 yards through the air. Beydoun's 2021 tally ranks fourth in the Eastern Michigan record book, while he also became EMU's first 1,000-yard wide out since 2004.
Cooper makes it three-straight seasons for a Golden Flash on the annual Maxwell Award Watch List. He was one of five running backs in the Mid-American Conference to top 1000 yards in 2021, finishing with a team-best 1,205. He was the first Kent State back to top 1,000 yards on the ground since 2012. Cooper also found the endzone 11 times last year. He added 10 grabs and nearly 100 yards receiving, putting him over 1,300 all-purpose yards last season.
Nichols earns his place on the list after becoming the sixth Chippewa to be named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 and the first since Dan LeFevour in 2009. Nichols, a redshirt freshman running back from Detroit, earned the MAC Freshman of the Year Award in 2020. He also lead the nation in rushing last season with 1,710 yards and in all-purpose yardage with 2,010 yards.
Tyler led the Broncos' rushing attack last year, amassing a career-high 1,150 yards on 178 carries and nine touchdowns last season. He also caught career-best 14 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. The Richton Park, Ill., native was also WMU's top returner on the season, averaging 29.27 yards per return and two touchdowns. For his efforts he was named Second Team All- MAC.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell who was a former standout at the Swarthmore College and a renowned sports writer and football official.
The Maxwell Football Club will announce the semifinalists for this year's award Nov. 3, and three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 23. The winner will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 10.
