Both of Ohio State’s star wide receivers are preseason candidates for the Maxwell Award.
Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are among the 85 players on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which honors college football’s best player.
The Maxwell Football Club announced its watch list for the 87th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. #MaxwellFootball #MaxwellAward
— Maxwell Football (@MaxwellFootball) July 31, 2023
: https://t.co/WLP97tKb4b
Check out the full list here pic.twitter.com/PgLosFbnJY
Harrison and Egbuka are two of 15 wide receivers on the watch list. Ohio State is the only school with two wide receivers up for the award and one of 15 schools with two players on the list. Although players of all positions are eligible to win the Maxwell Award, all 85 players on the preseason watch list are offensive skill-position players (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends).
Ohio State’s top two wide receivers have a strong case for being the best wide receivers in the country, as Harrison (1,263 yards) and Egbuka (1,151 yards) had the most receiving yards in 2022 among all returning Power 5 receivers. Ryan Day said last week that Harrison and Egbuka are as good as any pair of receivers he’s ever coached.
“I don't think you can say there's anybody better,” Day said when asked if they’re the best duo he’s coached. “They have to produce for another year because they only have really one year of production. But if you look at what they did last year as sophomores, and certainly they had C.J. (Stroud), and C.J. was great, but man for two sophomores, I mean, that was (impressive) – but they've got to do it again.”
The Maxwell Award watch list is the first of 16 preseason watch lists that the National College Football Awards Association will release over the next two weeks. Watch lists for the Outland Trophy (best lineman) and Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) are set to be released Tuesday.
