by staff–10 Jul ’17
The Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday the watch lists for the 81st annual Maxwell Award and the 23rd annual Chuck Bednarik Award. University of Wyoming junior quarterback Josh Allen has been named to the Maxwell Watch List and Cowboy junior safety Andrew Wingard has been named to the Bednarik Watch List.
The Maxwell Award is named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell and has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell contributed to the game of football as a college player, was later a sportswriter and also served as an official during his career.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Bednarik played collegiately at Penn and professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame.
Allen is one of the highest rated college quarterbacks in the nation entering the 2017 season. He has been mentioned by numerous NFL scouting services as a potential first round draft pick.
As a sophomore in 2016, Allen ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 6 nationally in passing yards per completion (15.33 yards). He also led the MW and was No. 16 in the country in points responsible for (218). Allen threw 28 touchdown passes in 2016, placing him No. 1 in the conference and No. 20 in the NCAA. He was second in the MW and 32nd in the nation in passing yards (3,203). Allen was also No. 2 in conference and No. 40 in the nation in total offense (266.1 yards per game).
Wingard was a First Team All-Mountain West selection as a sophomore and was one of 16 national semifinalists for the 2016 Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the nation’s top defensive back each season. Wingard will once again be the leader of the Cowboy defense.
He ranked among the top defensive players in the nation in tackles again in 2016. Wingard ranked No. 22 in the NCAA in total tackles in 2016, averaging 9.4 per game, and ranked No. 26 in the NCAA in solo tackles, averaging 5.4 per game. Wingard ended his sophomore season in 2016 ranked No. 1 among all current active NCAA FBS players in career solo tackles, averaging 6.08 per game, and he ranked No. 2 among all current active FBS players in career total tackles, averaging 9.73 per game.
