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)
| K-State's 2026 Watch List Members | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Player(s) | Award Description | |||||||||
| Maxwell Award | Joe Jackson and Avery Johnson | Outstanding player in college football | |||||||||
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)
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ FootballThursday, July 16
Thursday, July 09
Wednesday, July 08
Monday, June 22
