The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
07.31.2023 | Football
Texas WR Xavier Worthy and QB Quinn Ewers are on the watch list for college football’s Player of the Year award.
PHILADELPHIA – Texas junior WR Xavier Worthy and sophomore QB Quinn Ewers were named to the 2023 watch list for the Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Club announced on Monday. The Maxwell Award has been given to the College Player of the Year since 1937. Worthy was named to the preseason watch list for the second-straight year, while Ewers was named to the watch list for the first time in his career.
Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy have been named to the 2023 Maxwell Award watch list 🤘 pic.twitter.com/4cDhF8lL91
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) July 31, 2023
Worthy is a third-year wide receiver who has played in and started 25 games. The Fresno, Calif. native has 122 career receptions for 1,741 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 21 career touchdown receptions rank third all-time in Texas history and his 122 career receptions are the 14th-most ever for a Longhorn. Last season, he was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the league's coaches and the Associated Press after leading the conference and ranking 19th in the nation with nine touchdown receptions, while tying for fourth in the Big 12 receptions (60), ranking fifth receiving yards (760), and seventh in receiving yards per game (58.5) and receptions per game (4.6). Worthy also served as the punt returner for Texas in 2022, averaging 9.7 yards per return. His 21 career touchdown receptions lead all returning Power 5 players and rank second among FBS receivers.
Ewers is a second-year quarterback who has played in and started 10 games. A native of Southlake, Texas, Ewers completed 172-of-296 passes (58.1%) for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2022. His 2,177 passing yards were the fifth-most all time for a Texas freshman and the 22nd-most in program history, while the 15 touchdown passes were the fourth-most in a season for a Longhorn freshman. In the Alamo Bowl against Washington, he connected on 31-of-47 passes for 369 yards and one touchdown, establishing career highs for completions and passing yards. The 31 completions and 47 passing attempts were the third-most ever for a Texas quarterback in a bowl game and both marks equaled the 10th-most in any single game in program history. Additionally, his 369 passing yards were the third-most ever for a Longhorn in a bowl game and 16th-most in a single game in UT history. Ewers heads into the 2023 with a streak of 116 consecutive passes without an interception, tied for the eighth-longest streak in program history.
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.
