College Football: 5 favorites who could win 2017 Maxwell Award

With college football right around the corner and award watch lists being revealed, here are our five favorites to win the 2017 Maxwell Award.

One of the most underrated awards in all of college sports has to be the Maxwell Award. It’s given annually to the nation’s top college football player. It’s not always the Heisman Trophy winner who takes home the Maxwell Award, but it’s usually a finalist for the top award in college football.

Three of the last four Maxwell Awards have gone to quarterbacks as Lamar Jackson took home last year’s while also raking in the Heisman. The year before was Alabama running back Derrick Henry, also a Heisman winner and Marcus Mariota in 2014 — another Heisman recipient. The last non-Heisman Trophy winner to win the Maxwell Award was A.J. McCarron back in 2013.

While it might seem like there’s an offensive theme to the award, defensive players can take it home as well, although it’s rare. The last defensive player to win the award was Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o back in 2013.

The preseason Maxwell Award watch list was released on Monday and here are our five favorites to reel in the coveted honor.

Honorable Mention: Jake Browning, QB, Washington

Jake Browning was one of the best quarterbacks in college football during the 2016 season and he was just a sophomore. Heck, some argued that he would have been the top quarterback chosen in the draft if he was eligible to leave after last season.

Entering the 2017 campaign, there are high expectations for Browning. He passed for 3,430 yards and 43 touchdowns with just nine interceptions last year and over 2,900 yards during his freshman campaign in 2015. If he keeps improving at this rate, he could approach 50 touchdown passes which would make him a lock as a Heisman finalist.

If Washington somehow gets back to the College Football Playoff, there’s no way Browning should be overlooked as a Maxwell Award finalist as well.