Three Buckeyes received early recognition as being among the best players in college football on Monday.
The Maxwell Award, given annually to the best player in college football, released its preseason watch list and Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, quarterback Will Howard and running back Quinshon Judkins all made the cut.
The day is FINALLY here
— Maxwell Football (@MaxwellFootball) July 29, 2024
Check out the 2024 #MaxwellFootball Watchlist #MaxwellFootball
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Ohio State is one of two schools with three players on the watch list, joining Miami (Fla.) with running back Damien Martinez, wide receiver Xavier Restrepo and quarterback Cam Ward. No other team had more than two athletes make the watch list.
Egbuka is back for his senior season with the Buckeyes after an injury-hindered junior campaign that featured 41 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2022, he hauled in 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 scores, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Judkins transferred to Ohio State from Ole Miss after a pair of first-team All-SEC selections the last two seasons. He gobbled up 1,567 rushing yards in 2022 and 1,158 yards in 2023, scoring 31 combined touchdowns on the ground.
Howard is another transfer from Kansas State who aims to be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback this fall. He completed 61.3% of his passes for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last year, with 351 rushing yards and nine scores in the running game, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Two former Ohio State quarterbacks, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and Texas’ Quinn Ewers, also made the watch list. The list features 80 players in total, all from the quarterback, running back or wide receiver positions.
