Highlights of notable Maxwell Award candidates for the week ending Sept. 2
By Rich Cirminiello [VP of College Awards]
Who’s Hot
QB Jason Bean, Kansas
In last night’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl, UNLV could not contain Kansas which won its first postseason game since 2008. The 9-4 Jayhawks racked up 591 total yards, most off the right arm of Bean, one of the nation’s trustiest backups. While the battle-tested senior did throw three interceptions in the 49-36 win he also completed 19-of-28 passes for 449 yards and a school record tying six touchdowns, three apiece to receivers Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm.
QB Byrum Brown, South Florida
The future in the Bay Area is very bright. The Bulls capped a breakout season under first-year head coach Alex Golesh with a Boca Raton Bowl blowout of Syracuse, 45-0. Brown finished his debut season as the starter by once again showing off his multidimensional skillset. The redshirt freshman from Raleigh accounted for 299 yards and three touchdowns, all through the air, while also catching a pass and being the game’s leading rusher.
QB Darren Grainger, Georgia State
The backfield of Grainger and RB Freddie Brock gashed Utah State Saturday in a 45-22 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory. Brock, the Maine transfer with only six carries all season, rushed 24 times for a Georgia State-record 276 yards, including bursts of 31, 43, 58 and 60 yards. Grainger was even better. He completed 19-of-22 passes while accounting for 368 total yards and five total touchdowns. Those five scores tied his own single-game school record.
QB Gio Lopez, South Alabama
The 68 Ventures Bowl was the scene of the passing of the baton as Lopez showed why he’s the future under center in Mobile. The true freshman from Huntsville shared snaps with veteran Desmond Trotter, earning MVP honors in a 59-10 demolition of Eastern Michigan. Looking like a Tua Tagovailoa doppelganger, the accurate lefty diced up the Eagles for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing. Lopez also rushed for a game-high 88 yards and a score in a harbinger of what’s to come at South Alabama.
FB Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
Defense and a relentless ground game. It was a time-tested recipe for success for Air Force in Saturday’s 31-21 Armed Forced Bowl win over 11-1 James Madison. Michel spearheaded a rushing attack that churned out 351 yards versus a top-ranked Dukes’ run defense allowing just 62 yards per game. The senior from Lawrenceville, Ga. turned 35 carries into a career-high and Air Force bowl-record 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
RB Darius Taylor, Minnesota
The Gophers were a different team in the Quick Lane Bowl with Taylor who missed the previous five games with a leg injury. In a homecoming of sorts, the true freshman from Detroit rushed for a career-high 208 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries as Minnesota captured its seventh straight bowl game, 30-24, over Bowling Green. With Taylor carrying an offense led by first-time starting QB Cole Kramer, the Gophers reached 30 points for just the third time all year. He’ll be the face of the attack in 2024 and one of the Big Ten’s premier running backs.
QB Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina
Starter Grayson McCall missed a chunk of the season and ultimately transferred to NC State. The silver lining? It gave the Chanticleers an opportunity to develop Vasko as the heir behind center. The redshirt freshman transfer from Kansas got the nod in early November and peaked in Saturday’s Hawaii Bowl win against San Jose State. He threw for 199 yards and a season-high three scores while displaying his athleticism by rushing for a team-best 50 yards on 17 carries.
