Two Michigan State, one Michigan football player on Maxwell Award watch list
One year after Michigan State football running back Kenneth Walker III finished as one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award, two Spartans and one Wolverine were named to the preseason watch list.
The Maxwell Award, given annually to "the most outstanding player in college football" since 1937, announced its watch list Monday which included MSU quarterback Payton Thorne, wide receiver Jayden Reed and Michigan running back Blake Corum.
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Thorne set a school single-season record in his first year as a starter with 27 touchdown passes in 2021, finishing third in total offense (3,414 yards), third in passing yards (3,233) and sixth in passing efficiency (148.1 rating).
Thorne, completed 60.3% of his passes (234-for-388) in his redshirt sophomore season, and was an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team by both coaches and media.
His favorite target, Reed, was also named to the watch list after forgoing the NFL draft to come back for a senior season.
Reed had a huge 2021 season and was one of five finalists for the Paul Hornung Award — the nation's most versatile player.
Reed led MSU in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,026) and touchdowns (10), while pacing the Big Ten in yards per punt return (19.8) and tied for the nation's lead with two punt return touchdowns.
Nearly every time Reed touched the ball, something positive happened, with 42 of his 59 catches resulting in either a first down or a touchdown as his 18 yards per touch was tops in the Big Ten and tied for seventh best in the FBS.
Brad Van Pelt is the only Spartan to win the Maxwell Award, when he became the first defensive back to receive home the honor in 1972. Walker was not named to the preseason list in 2021.
The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 86th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. Check out who made the list here ⬇️
For more information on #MaxwellFootball head to...https://t.co/WLP97tKb4b pic.twitter.com/tdxUyTnss7— Maxwell Football (@MaxwellFootball) July 18, 2022
Corum, a junior, is expected to have a breakout season as the lead of a one-two punch (after playing second fiddle to Hassan Haskins a season ago) along with sophomore Donovan Edwards.
Corum last season rushed 144 times for 952 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. He caught 24 passes for 141 yards and another score, and flashed his ability on special teams, returning 12 kickoffs for 304 yards (25.3 yards per return).
Desmond Howard was the last Wolverine to win the award in 1991, when he also took home the Heisman Trophy.
Other Big Ten players on the list
Of the 85 players on the watch list, one dozen were from the Big Ten.
That includes Ohio State's trio of quarterback CJ Stroud, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson, Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, Purdue quarterback Sean O'Connell, Northwestern running back Evan Hull, and Illinois running Chase Brown.
Western, Central, Eastern all represented
Each of Michigan's three Mid-American Conference schools are represented.
For Central Michigan, it's running back Lew Nichols III, who led the FBS in rushing yards (1,848), yards per game (142.2) and total carries (341) a season ago. He also finished ninth in rushing touchdowns (16), 11th in total touchdowns (18) and led the nation in all-purpose yards (2,186).
The Cass Tech alum was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year and placed on Phil Steele's All-America fourth-team.
In Kalamazoo, with star receiver Skyy Moore now gone to the Kansas City Chiefs, all the attention will be on running back Sean Tyler.
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Tyler finished 2021 with 178 carries for a career-high 1,150 yards (6.5 YPC) and nine touchdowns, hauling in a career-best 14 passes for 114 yards and two more scores to earn second-team All-MAC honors.
Eastern Michigan's Hassan Beydoun set records as a receiver for the Eagles in 2021 and finds himself on the Maxwell list.
He caught the most passes (97) in a single season for EMU to go with 1,015 receiving yards (the school's first 1000+ yard receiver since 2004), four touchdowns and was named second-team All-MAC.
Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State, Michigan football represented on Maxwell Award list
