Two Kansas football players were named to the Preseason Maxwell Award Watch List. Find out which Jayhawks made the cut.
The Maxwell Award is annually granted to the best college football player in the country. Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal — two pillars of the Kansas Jayhawks resurgence in football — are on the preseason watch list.
Daniels’ addition comes as no surprise, as he was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year this month. Across nine games in 2022, he threw for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He added seven more scores and 425 yards on the ground.
Once considered a Heisman Trophy candidate after leading Kansas football to their first 5-0 start since 2008, there are very few past Jayhawks to come into a season with as much hype as Daniels. He is widely considered one of the top signal callers in the nation, even cracking the top 10 on ESPN’s quarterback rankings.
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Injuries were the downfall of his junior year at Kansas, so durability will be key for the California native. Daniels is back in full health and ready to kick into regular-season gear.
Meanwhile, Neal is quickly establishing himself as a premier running back in college football. He’s coming off a sophomore year in which he ran for 1,090 yards and nine touchdowns. His 1,273 scrimmage yards led all Kansas football players by more than 500.
Neal has also been listed on several preseason watch lists, including the Preseason All-Big 12 First Team. He is the only 1,000-yard rusher in the Big 12 Conference to return to their school, and he’ll look to surpass the results of his terrific season in 2022.
The quarterback-running back tandem is the first duo to be recognized on the Preseason Maxwell Award Watch List since Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe. Only 15 NCAA Division I schools had two players on the list. The list in its entirety can be found by clicking here.
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