Oklahoma State Places Duo on Maxwell Award Watchlist for Nation’s Top Player

STILLWATER — Quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins are officially on notice as guys who could be the best in the sport this fall.

The official watchlist for the Maxwell Award, given to the best college football player in the nation, was released on Monday, and those two Cowboys earned a spot.

This probably won’t be the last award watchlist these guys land on, as this is just a continuation of what has been a very spotlight-heavy offseason for those two guys.

At Big 12 Media Days, linebacker Ethan Wesloski laughed when he saw Mestemaker and Hawkins surrounded by an army of cameras while he had maybe one pointed his way.

“It’s one of those things where they’ve deserved everything they’ve gotten, though,” Wesloski said. “So, I mean, it’s kind of their fault, right? They played too good to a degree.”

The full list includes 81 players, and Oklahoma State is one of only 14 programs in the nation with exactly two representatives while Miami and Ohio State lead the way with three each.

BYU (QB Bear Bachmeier and RB LJ Martin), Kansas State (QB Avery Johnson and RB Joe Jackson) and Utah (QB Devon Dampier and RB Wayshawn Parker) were the only other Big 12 programs to place two guys on the list.