Rattler and Wells Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

University of South Carolina seniors Spencer Rattler and Antwane Wells Jr. are among the watch list candidates named for the 87th Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced today. The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.

The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. The full list consists of 85 players with 16 schools having two players represented.

Rattler, a 6-1, 217-pound quarterback from Phoenix, Ariz., threw for 3,026 yards and 18 touchdowns a season ago while completing 66 percent of his passes in his first season with the Gamecocks. Wells, a 6-1, 208-pound wide receiver from Richmond, Va., was Rattler’s top receiving target, hauling in 68 passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns while earning first-team All-SEC honors.

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.

Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 28, 2023. The winners of the 87th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.