PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 87th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football.
Akron WR Alex Adams, Ball State RB Marquez Cooper, Eastern Michigan RB Samson Evans, Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke and Toledo QB Dequan Finn represent the Mid-American Conference on this season’s watch list.
Adams appeared in 10 games with Louisiana State in two years en route to catching two passes for 11 yards. He appeared in seven games for the Tigers in 2021, playing mainly on special teams. He played in three games for LSU, catching one pass for six yards.
Cooper joins the Cardinals after playing three seasons at Kent State (2020-22) under head coach Sean Lewis. He was a 2022 first team All-MAC selection after ranking second in the league with 1,326 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. His 1,326 yards were the fifth-best single season total in program history, while his 13 touchdowns tie for seventh. Cooper averaged 132.7 yards per game in league play and had the sixth 240+ yard game in program history with 240 at Ohio. He broke 100 yards in five games in 2022, while also rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown at No. 1 Georgia (Sept. 24, 2022). Cooper ranks sixth all-time in Kent State history with 2,813 total rushing yards, including 1,205 in 2021 and 291 in 2020.
Evans earned his first all-conference honors in 2022 after a historic season in the backfield for EMU. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native scored his 27th career rushing touchdown against Central Michigan University, Nov. 25, to move into first place in Eastern Michigan program history in the category during a 2022 season which saw him rush for 100+ yards in four contests, a career-best mark. His 29 scores put him in second on EMU's all-time touchdowns list (rushing and receiving). With 1,166 yards on the ground last season, Evans is the 14th EMU player to rush for a total of 1,000 yards or more in a single season. The senior's total was good for eighth all-time in single-season laurels at EMU. His 15 touchdowns in 2022 ranked first in the MAC and 15th nationally.
Rourke went 244-for-353 on 3,256 passing yards, throwing 25 total touchdowns in 11 games. The quarterback made program history against Fordham (Sept. 24), going for 527 yards in the air, breaking a record that was set in 1983. He is also second in program history in passing yards in a season as well as passing touchdowns in a season. Rourke's performance earned him numerous accolades, highlighted by being named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, earning the Vern Smith Leadership Award as well as earning First Team All-MAC honors. Off the field, he was named Academic All-MAC, 2022 Academic All-America® Second Team and earned MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors once.
Finn was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2022. He ranked fourth in the MAC in passing efficiency (136.4) and fourth in total offense (240.9). Finn completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 2,269 yards and 23 TDs. He claimed Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP honors after throwing for 133 yards and a TD while adding 23 rushing yards and a TD. He also earned MAC Championship Game Offensive MVP accolades after throwing for 154 yards and a TD, while rushing for 86 yards. Finn was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for school record-tying six touchdowns and rushing for one score vs. Kent State. The seven touchdowns accounted for against the Golden Flashes set new program record. He was second on Rockets in rushing with 631 yards and team-best nine rushing TDs. The 631 rushing yards are school record for a QB, besting previous school season record of 564 set by Jim Kelso in 1981.
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.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 28, 2023. The winners of the 87th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.
