Oklahoma State Star Offensive Duo Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

The first of the major college football award watch lists was released on Monday and two Oklahoma State offensive stars made the cut.

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The first major award watch list of the 2026 college football season was released on Monday and to little surprise two new Oklahoma State offensive players made the list.

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, both of which transferred to the Cowboys from North Texas, were included among the players on the Maxwell Ward watch list.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937. There were 81 players on the watch list. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won last year’s award.

OSU’s Maxwell Award Watch List Nominees

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Given how both players performed at North Texas last season, it's no real surprise they made the list. The watch list is a starting point for the award. Players can be added to the watch list any time during the season and committee members will narrow the list down to a group of semifinalists in early November and a group of finalists in late November.

If Oklahoma State is playing great football, there's a good chance that one or both players could be a semifinalist.

Mestemaker is the presumed starting quarterback after he led the nation in passing yards last season. He threw for 4,379 yards and 32 scores. He was named the winner of the 2025 Burlsworth Trophy as college football's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. He started his career at UNT in 2024 as a walk-on under head coach Eric Morris, who is now the head coach at OSU.

Hawkins set the NCAA FBS record for touchdowns scored by a freshman with 29 total (25 rushing, four receiving), breaking the mark of 28. He also rushed for 1,434 rushing yards to rank No. 5 in the FBS and had 1,804 all-purpose yards, which also ranked fourth. He earned both freshman all-America and national all-America honors. His transfer allowed the Oklahoma native to return closer to home.

Four returning semifinalists from 2025 made the list, including Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and Dante Moore (Oregon).

Earlier this year, wide receiver Chris Barnes, a transfer from Wake Forest, was named to the Jet Award watch list. That award is given annually to the nation's best kick returner.

Later this week the watch lists for the Outland Trophy, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the John Mackey Award, the Rimington Trophy and the Lou Groza Award will be released.