PHILADELPHIA – LSU senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger was named to the watch list for the 77th annual Maxwell Award, presented to college football’s player of the year, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday morning.
Mettenberger is one of a nation-leading 16 Southeastern Conference players on the list, which includes seven quarterbacks.
Mettenberger, a native of Watkinsville, Ga., is coming off a junior campaign where he threw for 2,609 yards and 12 touchdowns on 207-of-352 passing. He joined Matt Flynn (2007) and Warren Rabb (1958) as the only first-year starting quarterbacks in LSU history to lead the Tigers to double-figure victories.
He threw just seven interceptions all of 2012, while his 50:1 ratio of passes to interceptions rates as the best for a single-season in school history for quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts. Mettenberger’s passing yards and completions last season were both fifth in LSU single-season annals.
Mettenberger heads into his senior campaign after an impressive spring under first-year LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. He will lead a Tiger offense that returns two of the SEC’s top wide receivers in juniors Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. The watch list candidates have been chosen by the Maxwell Football Club’s selection committee, which analyzes both past performance and future potential.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Oct. 29, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winner of the 2013 Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12. The formal presentations of these award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah’s Entertainment Atlantic City on March 7, 2014.
2013 Maxwell Award Watch List
First Last, Position, Class, School
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Junior, Nebraska
Antonio Andrews, RB, Senior, Western Kentucky
Dri Archer, RB, Senior, Kent State
David Ash, QB, Junior, Texas
Anthony Barr, LB, Senior, UCLA
Blake Bell, QB, Junior, Oklahoma
Beau Blankenship, RB, Senior, Ohio
Blake Bortles, QB, Junior, UCF
Tajh Boyd, QB, Senior, Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Junior, Louisville
Kolton Browning, QB, Senior, UL-Monroe
Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Junior, Arizona
Derek Carr, QB, Senior, Fresno State
Kasey Carrier, RB, Senior, New Mexico
Rakeem Cato, QB, Junior, Marshall
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Junior, South Carolina
Brandin Cooks, WR, Junior, Oregon State
Amari Cooper, WR, Sophomore, Alabama
Stefon Diggs, WR, Sophomore, Maryland
Kenneth Dixon, RB, Sophomore, Louisiana Tech
Jeff Driskel, QB, Junior, Florida
Mike Evans, WR, Sophomore, Texas A&M
Cody Fajardo, QB, Junior, Nevada
David Fales, QB, Senior, San Jose State
David Fluellen, RB, Senior, Toledo
Devin Gardner, QB, Senior, Michigan
Marion Grice, RB, Senior, Arizona State
Todd Gurley, RB, Sophomore, Georgia
Kevin Hogan, QB, Sophomore, Stanford
John Hubert, RB, Senior, Kansas State
Brett Hundley, RB, Sophomore, UCLA
Carlos Hyde, RB, Senior, Ohio State
Duke Johnson, RB, Sophomore, Miami
Chuckie Keeton, QB, Junior, Utah State
Taylor Kelly, QB, Junior, Arizona State
Marqise Lee, WR, Junior, USC
Taylor Lewan , OT, Senior, Michigan
Jordan Lynch, QB, Senior, Northern Illinois
Johnny Manziel , QB, Sophomore, Texas A&M
Marcus Mariota, QB, Sophomore, Oregon
Venric Mark, RB, Senior, Northwestern
Taylor Martinez, QB, Senior, Nebraska
Jordan Matthews, WR, Senior, Vanderbilt
Jake Matthews, OT, Senior, Texas A&M
AJ McCarron, QB, Senior, Alabama
Zach Mettenberger, QB, Senior, LSU
Braxton Miller, QB, Junior, Ohio St.
Stephen Morris, QB, Senior, Miami
C.J. Mosley, LB, Senior, Alabama
Adam Muema, RB, Junior, San Diego State
Aaron Murray, QB, Senior, Georgia
Louis Nix III, DT, Senior, Notre Dame
Branden Oliver, RB, Senior, Buffalo
Casey Pachall, QB, Senior, TCU
LaDarius Perkins, RB, Senior, Mississippi State
Keith Price, QB, Senior, Washington
Silas Redd, RB, Senior, USC
Bryn Renner, QB, Senior, North Carolina
Tyler Russell, QB, Senior, Mississippi State
Bishop Sankey, RB, Junior, Washington
Lache Seastrunk, RB, Junior, Baylor
Charles Sims, RB, Senior, West Virginia
Jerome Smith, RB, Senior, Syracuse
Will Sutton, DT, Senior, Arizona State
De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Junior, Oregon
Logan Thomas, QB, Senior, Virginia Tech
Zurlon Tipton, RB, Senior, Central Michigan
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Junior, Notre Dame
Bo Wallace, QB, Junior, Ole Miss
Sammy Watkins, WR , Junior, Clemson
Trey Watts, RB, Senior, Tulsa
Keith Wenning, QB, Senior, Ball State
James White, RB, Senior, Wisconsin
David Yankey, OG, Senior, Stanford
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Sophomore, Alabama
Zach Zwinak, RB, Senior, Penn State