MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football redshirt seniors Leddie Brown and Jarret Doege were named to the watch list for the 85th Annual Maxwell Award, and senior defensive lineman Dante Stills was named to the 27th annual Bednarik Award Watch List, today, as announced by the Maxwell Football Club.
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.
Brown, a 2020 All-Big 12 First-Team selection, hit the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the first time in his career last year, finishing with 1,010 yards and nine touchdowns. Brown also was named an All-Big 12 first team by the league sportswriters and Phil Steele’s Magazine. He tied for second on the squad with 31 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with five 100-yard rushing games and had a season-high 195 yards rushing against Kansas.
Doege, a 2020 All-Big 12 Second Team selection by PFF College and a four-team honoree by Phil Steel’s Magazine, started all 10 games last year and completed 239-of-374 passes for 2,587 yards and 14 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He threw for 300 or more yards in four games and completed multiple touchdowns in four games.
The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.
Stills was named a 2020 All-Big 12 Conference First Team selection by PFF College and Phil Steele’s Magazine, was an All-Big 12 second team defensive lineman in 2019. In 2020, he finished with 35 tackles, including 15 solo stops, two sacks and led the team in tackles for loss with 10.5. He also had a fumble recovery, two pass breakups and blocked a field goal. Stills had a season-high seven tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss at Texas Tech.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 1, 2021, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 22, 2021. The winners of the 2021 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 9, 2021. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2022.
