Northwestern University Athletics
Jackson, Thorson and Igwebuike Named to Preseason Watch Lists
7/10/2017 8:41:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — The Maxwell Football Club released its 2017 summer watch lists for the 81st annual Maxwell Award and 23rd annual Chuck Bednarik Award Monday morning. Senior running back Justin Jackson and junior quarterback Clayton Thorson were among the initial candidates for the Maxwell Award, while senior safety Godwin Igwebuike was named to the list for the Bednarik Award.
Jackson, the nation's second-active leading rusher with 4,129 career yards, was among six Big Ten running backs named to the list, including Saquon Barkley (Penn State), LJ Scott (Michigan State), Rodney Smith (Minnesota), Akrum Wadley (Iowa) and Mike Weber (Ohio State). Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Thorson was named to the Maxwell Award Watch list for the first time and is among four Big Ten quarterbacks, including J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Trace McSorley (Penn State) and Wilton Speight (Michigan. He was named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in his second season as the Wildcats' signal caller, setting a new NU single-season record with 22 touchdown passes. Thorson's 3,182 passing yards were the most ever by a NU quarterback in his sophomore season and the fourth most in NU single-season history. He threw for three touchdown passes five times, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to accomplish the feat since at least 1999, while his six consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19 were the most by a Wildcat since Brett Basanez accomplished the feat in five-straight games in 2005. The Wheaton, Illinois, native already ranks seventh in school history with 29 career passing touchdowns and is 10th with 4,704 career passing yards.
Igwebuike also was recognized on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List for the first time in his career and is among three Big Ten defensive backs, including Marcus Allen (Penn State) and Denzel Ward (Ohio State). The senior has started the last 26 games at safety and will enter 2017 as the leader of the Wildcats' defense. He led Chicago's Big Ten Team with 108 tackles, including 78 solo stops, last season, while ranking ninth in the country with 6.0 solo tackles per game. He is second among active FBS defensive backs with 163 career solo tackles. A native of Pickerington, Ohio, Igwebuike was voted Second-Team All-Big Ten by the conference's coaches last season.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell's contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.
The watch lists will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. Returning Maxwell Award winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville) headlines the way for the 2017 watch list class. Alabama and Texas lead the pack with four and three Maxwell Award candidates, respectively, as the season approaches.
The Chuck Bednarik Award watch list features fresh faces, as 2016 finalists Jonathan Allen (Alabama), Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), and Jabril Peppers (Michigan) have all moved on to the NFL. Ohio State checks in with a quartet of Buckeye defenders; Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Denzel Ward and Jerome Baker. Meanwhile, Florida State and USC are strongly represented by four and three candidates, respectively.
Jackson capped a brilliant season at Louisville by becoming the first player in school history to win the Maxwell Award. Allen, the 2016 Bednarik Award winner, was also the first Alabama player to win the award. Allen was a first round NFL Draft pick of the Washington Redskins, while Jackson returns for his junior season.
The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 23 awards boast over 745 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced October 30, 2017, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled November 20, 2017. The winners of the 2017 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2017. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 9, 2018
Jackson, the nation's second-active leading rusher with 4,129 career yards, was among six Big Ten running backs named to the list, including Saquon Barkley (Penn State), LJ Scott (Michigan State), Rodney Smith (Minnesota), Akrum Wadley (Iowa) and Mike Weber (Ohio State). Jackson earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, rushing for a career-high 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming the first player in program history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three-straight seasons. He also led the Big Ten with 117.2 rushing yards per game, ranked 13th in the country in total rushing yards and 16th in rushing yards per contest. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native capped last season with a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Wildcats' 31-24 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Thorson was named to the Maxwell Award Watch list for the first time and is among four Big Ten quarterbacks, including J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Trace McSorley (Penn State) and Wilton Speight (Michigan. He was named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in his second season as the Wildcats' signal caller, setting a new NU single-season record with 22 touchdown passes. Thorson's 3,182 passing yards were the most ever by a NU quarterback in his sophomore season and the fourth most in NU single-season history. He threw for three touchdown passes five times, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to accomplish the feat since at least 1999, while his six consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19 were the most by a Wildcat since Brett Basanez accomplished the feat in five-straight games in 2005. The Wheaton, Illinois, native already ranks seventh in school history with 29 career passing touchdowns and is 10th with 4,704 career passing yards.
Igwebuike also was recognized on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List for the first time in his career and is among three Big Ten defensive backs, including Marcus Allen (Penn State) and Denzel Ward (Ohio State). The senior has started the last 26 games at safety and will enter 2017 as the leader of the Wildcats' defense. He led Chicago's Big Ten Team with 108 tackles, including 78 solo stops, last season, while ranking ninth in the country with 6.0 solo tackles per game. He is second among active FBS defensive backs with 163 career solo tackles. A native of Pickerington, Ohio, Igwebuike was voted Second-Team All-Big Ten by the conference's coaches last season.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell's contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.
The watch lists will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. Returning Maxwell Award winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville) headlines the way for the 2017 watch list class. Alabama and Texas lead the pack with four and three Maxwell Award candidates, respectively, as the season approaches.
The Chuck Bednarik Award watch list features fresh faces, as 2016 finalists Jonathan Allen (Alabama), Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), and Jabril Peppers (Michigan) have all moved on to the NFL. Ohio State checks in with a quartet of Buckeye defenders; Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Denzel Ward and Jerome Baker. Meanwhile, Florida State and USC are strongly represented by four and three candidates, respectively.
Jackson capped a brilliant season at Louisville by becoming the first player in school history to win the Maxwell Award. Allen, the 2016 Bednarik Award winner, was also the first Alabama player to win the award. Allen was a first round NFL Draft pick of the Washington Redskins, while Jackson returns for his junior season.
The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 23 awards boast over 745 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced October 30, 2017, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled November 20, 2017. The winners of the 2017 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2017. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 9, 2018
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