K-State's 2026 NCFAA Watch List Members
Aug 03, 2026 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) unveils its preseason watch lists for 16 of its awards from Monday, August 3 through Friday, August 21. Below is a running list of K-State's watch list members.
MAXWELL AWARD
Presented to the college player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club
2026 Candidates: RB Joe Jackson and QB Avery Johnson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: RB Darren Sproles (2004), RB John Hubert (2013), WR Tyler Lockett (2014), QB Jesse Ertz (2017), RB Alex Barnes (2018), RB James Gilbert (2019), QB Skylar Thompson (2020), QB Skylar Thompson (2021), RB Deuce Vaughn (2021), QB Adrian Martinez (2022), RB Deuce Vaughn (2022), QB Will Howard (2024), RB DJ Giddens (2024), QB Avery Johnson (2024 and 2025), RB Dylan Edwards (2025)
Semifinalists: QB Jake Waters (2014)
Finalists: QB Michael Bishop (1998), QB Collin Klein (2012)
OUTLAND TROPHY
Presented to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America
2026 Candidate: OT John Pastore
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: C Randall Cummins (2000), DT Tank Reese (2002), C Nick Leckey (2003), OT Jeromey Clary (2005), C B.J. Finney (2013 and 2014), OT Cornelius Lucas (2013), OT Cody Whitehair (2014 and 2015), DT Will Geary (2016 and 2017), OL Dalton Risner (2017 and 2018), OL Cooper Beebe (2022), OL KT Leveston (2023), C Sam Hecht (2025)
Finalists: OL Cooper Beebe (2023)
JOHN MACKEY AWARD
Presented to the nation's most outstanding tight end by Friends of John Mackey
2026 Candidate: Garrett Oakley
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Brian Casey (2004), Jeron Mastrud (2009), Dayton Valentine (2017), Garrett Oakley (2025)
Semifinalists: Ben Sinnott (2023)
LOU GROZA AWARD
Presented to the nation's top place-kicker by the Palm Beach Sports Commission
2026 Candidate: Luis Rodrigeuz
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Brooks Rossman (2007), Jack Cantele (2014), Matthew McCrane (2015), Blake Lynch (2019 and 2020)
Semifinalists: Joe Rheem (2004), Anthony Cantele (2012), Matthew McCrane (2017)
Runner Up: Martin Gramatica (1998), Jamie Rheem (1999 and 2000)
Winner: Martin Gramatica (1997)
WUERFFEL TROPHY
Presented to the FBS player who exemplifies community service, academic excellence and athletic achievement by the Wuerffel Foundation.
2026 Candidate: RB Joe Jackson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: DB Dante Barnett (2015 and 2016), OL Dalton Risner (2017), DB Denzel Goolsby (2019), QB Skylar Thompson (2020 and 2021), QB Will Howard (2022 and 2023), LB Austin Moore (2024), DT Damian Ilalio (2025)
Finalist: OL Dalton Risner (2018)
GOLDEN ARM AWARD
Presented to the nation's top collegiate quarterback
2026 Candidate: Avery Johnson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Jake Waters (2014), Skylar Thompson (2019, 2020, 2021), Adrian Martinez (2022), Avery Johnson (2025)
Midseason Candidate: Will Howard (2023)
Finalist: Chad May (1994), Michael Bishop (1998)
Winner: Collin Klein (2012)
CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD
Presented to the nation's most outstanding defensive player
2026 Candidate: DE Wendell Gregory
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: DB Nigel Malone (2012), DB Ty Zimmerman (2013), DE Ryan Mueller (2014), DB Dante Barnett (2015 and 2016), LB Elijah Lee (2016), DB D.J. Reed (2017), DE Wyatt Hubert (2020), S Kobe Savage (2023), LB Austin Moore (2024), LB Austin Romaine (2025)
Semifinalist: LB Arthur Brown (2012), DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (2022)
Finalist: CB Chris Canty (1996)
| K-State's 2026 Watch List Members | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Player(s) | Award Description | |||||||||
| Maxwell Award | Joe Jackson and Avery Johnson | Most Outstanding Player in College Football | |||||||||
| Outland Trophy | John Pastore | Most Outstanding Interior Lineman | |||||||||
| John Mackey Award | Garrett Oakley | Most Outstanding Tight End | |||||||||
| Lou Groza Award | Luis Rodriguez | Nation's Top Placekicker | |||||||||
| Wuerffel Trophy | Joe Jackson | Community service, academic excellence and athletic achievement | |||||||||
| Golden Arm Award | Avery Johnson | Nation's top collegiate quarterback | |||||||||
| Bednarik Award | Wendell Gregory | Most Outstanding Defensive Player | |||||||||
MAXWELL AWARD
Presented to the college player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club
2026 Candidates: RB Joe Jackson and QB Avery Johnson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: RB Darren Sproles (2004), RB John Hubert (2013), WR Tyler Lockett (2014), QB Jesse Ertz (2017), RB Alex Barnes (2018), RB James Gilbert (2019), QB Skylar Thompson (2020), QB Skylar Thompson (2021), RB Deuce Vaughn (2021), QB Adrian Martinez (2022), RB Deuce Vaughn (2022), QB Will Howard (2024), RB DJ Giddens (2024), QB Avery Johnson (2024 and 2025), RB Dylan Edwards (2025)
Semifinalists: QB Jake Waters (2014)
Finalists: QB Michael Bishop (1998), QB Collin Klein (2012)
OUTLAND TROPHY
Presented to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America
2026 Candidate: OT John Pastore
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: C Randall Cummins (2000), DT Tank Reese (2002), C Nick Leckey (2003), OT Jeromey Clary (2005), C B.J. Finney (2013 and 2014), OT Cornelius Lucas (2013), OT Cody Whitehair (2014 and 2015), DT Will Geary (2016 and 2017), OL Dalton Risner (2017 and 2018), OL Cooper Beebe (2022), OL KT Leveston (2023), C Sam Hecht (2025)
Finalists: OL Cooper Beebe (2023)
JOHN MACKEY AWARD
Presented to the nation's most outstanding tight end by Friends of John Mackey
2026 Candidate: Garrett Oakley
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Brian Casey (2004), Jeron Mastrud (2009), Dayton Valentine (2017), Garrett Oakley (2025)
Semifinalists: Ben Sinnott (2023)
LOU GROZA AWARD
Presented to the nation's top place-kicker by the Palm Beach Sports Commission
2026 Candidate: Luis Rodrigeuz
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Brooks Rossman (2007), Jack Cantele (2014), Matthew McCrane (2015), Blake Lynch (2019 and 2020)
Semifinalists: Joe Rheem (2004), Anthony Cantele (2012), Matthew McCrane (2017)
Runner Up: Martin Gramatica (1998), Jamie Rheem (1999 and 2000)
Winner: Martin Gramatica (1997)
WUERFFEL TROPHY
Presented to the FBS player who exemplifies community service, academic excellence and athletic achievement by the Wuerffel Foundation.
2026 Candidate: RB Joe Jackson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: DB Dante Barnett (2015 and 2016), OL Dalton Risner (2017), DB Denzel Goolsby (2019), QB Skylar Thompson (2020 and 2021), QB Will Howard (2022 and 2023), LB Austin Moore (2024), DT Damian Ilalio (2025)
Finalist: OL Dalton Risner (2018)
GOLDEN ARM AWARD
Presented to the nation's top collegiate quarterback
2026 Candidate: Avery Johnson
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: Jake Waters (2014), Skylar Thompson (2019, 2020, 2021), Adrian Martinez (2022), Avery Johnson (2025)
Midseason Candidate: Will Howard (2023)
Finalist: Chad May (1994), Michael Bishop (1998)
Winner: Collin Klein (2012)
CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD
Presented to the nation's most outstanding defensive player
2026 Candidate: DE Wendell Gregory
Previous K-State Candidates
Preseason Candidates: DB Nigel Malone (2012), DB Ty Zimmerman (2013), DE Ryan Mueller (2014), DB Dante Barnett (2015 and 2016), LB Elijah Lee (2016), DB D.J. Reed (2017), DE Wyatt Hubert (2020), S Kobe Savage (2023), LB Austin Moore (2024), LB Austin Romaine (2025)
Semifinalist: LB Arthur Brown (2012), DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (2022)
Finalist: CB Chris Canty (1996)
Players Mentioned
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