Kevin Jennings named to Maxwell Award watch list

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Kevin Jennings named to Maxwell Award watch list

PHILADELPHIA (SMU/MAXWELL) ΓÇô SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings was named to the 89th Maxwell Award watch list in a release by the Maxwell Football Club on Monday.

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.

Jennings is coming off a successful season leading the Mustangs to their first appearance in the College Football Playoffs (CFP) in 2024. In SMU's inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the junior helped the program earn a mark of 11-3 with a perfect 8-0 conference record.

After Jennings was made the starter in Week 3 of the 2024 season, he posted an offensive grade of 87.5 by PFF, the third highest for any ACC player during that stretch. The Mustangs were 9-2 and averaged 37.1 points per game once Jennings was running the offense. During his time as the starter, SMU posted a nine-game winning streak, matching 2023's run as the second-longest in program history.

The Texas native's talents were recognized throughout all of college football, nationally ranking 14th in pass attempts (8.54), 18th in passing yards (3,245) and 20th in pass efficiency (150.9). The Jennings-led offense placed eighth in the nation in scoring offense (36.5) and 12th in first downs offense.

For his play last season, Jennings was First Team All-Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football, All-ACC Third Team by the conference and a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. He has also earned preseason accolades for the 2025 season, being named Preseason All-ACC Second Team by Phil Steele and Preseason All-ACC Third Team by Athlon Sports.

The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by 2 returning semifinalists, Cade Klubnik ΓÇô Clemson and Diego Pavia - Vanderbilt. The full list consists of 80 players with Penn State leading the way with 3 candidates and an additional 16 schools having two players represented. The SEC boasts 17 candidates followed by the ACC (16), Big12 (15) and Big10 (14).

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 11, 2025, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 25, 2025. The winner of the 89th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 11, 2025. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

[DallasDiehard]

One cool thing about watch lists like this: I remember being really excited when a Mustang made one of these lists.
Now I expect to see SMU represented on a lot of them.