Over Twenty ACC Players Make Maxwell Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch Lists

11 quarterbacks from the Atlantic Coast Conference were selected for the Maxwell Award, the most from any conference in the nation.

Dec 27, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) looks to throw against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half of the 2024 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

As college football season approaches, with just a few weeks separating now and the first slate of games, numerous college football preseason awards are being presented to players throughout the country, including those from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The two most recent preseason awards to be announced were the Maxwell Award Watch List and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. 

The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the “most outstanding player in the sport,” recognizing excellence on the field and exceptional contributions to the game. 

The award is named after Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former Swarthmore College football player, coach and sportswriter, and the selection committee for the award is composed of sportscasters, sportswriters and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches, as well as the Maxwell Football Club membership.

The most recent winner of the award is former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the first-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders.

A total of 17 players from the ACC were selected for the Maxwell Award Watch List, tied for the most of any conference in the nation, 11 of whom are quarterbacks—the most of any conference.

The ACC quarterbacks on the list include Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Darian Mensah (Duke), Thomas Castellanos (Florida State), Haynes King (Georgia Tech), Miller Moss (Louisville), Carson Beck (Miami), CJ Bailey (NC State), Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh), Kevin Jennings (SMU), Chandler Morris (Virginia) and Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech).

Stacked from top to bottom 📈

✅ 17 players on the Maxwell Award Watch List - tied for most of any conference
✅ 11 QBs represented - most of any conference pic.twitter.com/3rGXeUM49N

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 28, 2025

The remaining six players selected to the Maxwell Watch List from the ACC are Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams, Georgia Tech running back Jamal Haynes, Louisville running back Isaac Brown, Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid, Virginia Tech running back Terion Stewart and Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne.

On the other hand, a total of six defensive players from the ACC landed on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

That list consists of Clemson edge T.J. Parker, cornerback Avieon Terrell and defensive line Peter Woods, Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers, Miami defensive line Rueben Bain Jr., Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis and SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia.