Photo by: Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Fifita, McMillan Named to Maxwell Award Watch List
07/29/2024 | Football
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan named to the 88th Maxwell Award Watch List, as announced today by the Maxwell Football Club.
Fifita and McMillan join a prestigious list of the nation's top college football players that has been in existence since 1937. The award is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official. This honor is awarded to the top player in college football.
McMillan earns another preseason honor to add to a growing list that includes Walter Camp First-Team All-American, All-Big 12 Team, First-Team All-American by Phil Steele, and Athlon Sports. It is the first Walter Camp preseason selection for the junior wide receiver. He recorded 1,402 receiving yards, marking the second most in a single season in program history. McMillan is the 8th player in program history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards and his 10 touchdown grabs were the 6th most in a single season in the history of Arizona football.
Fifita adds another preseason award after being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Athlon Sports Preseason All-American, and Phil Steele Third-Team All-American. The redshirt sophomore quarterback from Huntington Beach, California posted a single-season program-best completion percentage (72.4%) in 2023. He threw for a single-game record 527 yards against Arizona State to cap the regular season and then led the Wildcats to their 7th win in a row with a victory over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl while passing for 354 yards marking the second-most in a bowl game in program history.
The full list consists of 80 players with Miami and Ohio State leading the way with 3 candidates each and an additional 15 schools having two players represented. The ACC boasts 20 candidates followed by the SEC (15), Big12 (15), and Big10 (12).
Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington was the 2023 Maxwell Award winner and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1st round of the NFL draft.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts as members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled on November 26, 2024. The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), encompassing college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Arizona opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. MST against New Mexico on ESPN.
Fifita and McMillan join a prestigious list of the nation's top college football players that has been in existence since 1937. The award is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official. This honor is awarded to the top player in college football.
McMillan earns another preseason honor to add to a growing list that includes Walter Camp First-Team All-American, All-Big 12 Team, First-Team All-American by Phil Steele, and Athlon Sports. It is the first Walter Camp preseason selection for the junior wide receiver. He recorded 1,402 receiving yards, marking the second most in a single season in program history. McMillan is the 8th player in program history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards and his 10 touchdown grabs were the 6th most in a single season in the history of Arizona football.
Fifita adds another preseason award after being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Athlon Sports Preseason All-American, and Phil Steele Third-Team All-American. The redshirt sophomore quarterback from Huntington Beach, California posted a single-season program-best completion percentage (72.4%) in 2023. He threw for a single-game record 527 yards against Arizona State to cap the regular season and then led the Wildcats to their 7th win in a row with a victory over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl while passing for 354 yards marking the second-most in a bowl game in program history.
The full list consists of 80 players with Miami and Ohio State leading the way with 3 candidates each and an additional 15 schools having two players represented. The ACC boasts 20 candidates followed by the SEC (15), Big12 (15), and Big10 (12).
Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington was the 2023 Maxwell Award winner and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1st round of the NFL draft.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts as members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled on November 26, 2024. The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), encompassing college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Arizona opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. MST against New Mexico on ESPN.
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