December 8, 2023 – PHILADELPHIA, PA
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

MAXWELL AND BEDNARIK AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

Maxwell Football Club Executive Director Mark Wolpert announced today that Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been selected as the winner of the 87th Maxwell Award as the Collegiate Player of the Year, and that NC State linebacker Payton Wilson is the winner of the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year. The winners of the Maxwell Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award were announced tonight as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, broadcast from the ESPN studios in Bristol CT.

Penix Jr. has had a remarkable season for the Huskies leading Washington to an undefeated season and a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies are back in the playoff for the first time since after the 2016 season as Penix has completed 307-of 466 passes for 4,218 yards. He’s also thrown 33 TDs and nine interceptions. In addition to the Maxwell honor, Penix Jr. was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Wilson, a 6-4, 242-pound graduate student from Hillsborough, N.C., started all 12 games for the Wolfpack in 2023, leading a defense that ranks in the top 25 nationally in nine defensive categories. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year and five-time conference linebacker of the week, Wilson made 138 stops and 17.5 tackles for loss, along with ten pass breakups, a forced fumble, two recovered fumbles, and three interceptions with one returned for a score. Wilson played 46 games and had 36 starts during his collegiate career with the Wolfpack.

Caleb Williams (USC) was the 2022 Maxwell Award winner, and Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. was the recipient of last year’s Bednarik Award. Anderson was a first-round draft pick by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft and Williams just completed his junior season at USC and is widely considered to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL draft.

The formal presentation of this year’s Maxwell and Bednarik awards will be held Friday March 8, 2024 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Maxwell Awards event tickets will be on sale starting December 15 th . Eligible voters for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA FBS head football coaches, sports information directors, and selected national media. All questions concerning the winners or the awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club can be directed to Mark Wolpert, Maxwell Football Club Executive Director, at mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org, or to Richard Cirminiello, Director of Collegiate Awards at rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org

The Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 25 awards boast over 800 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit http://www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.

ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Montage Mountain Resort, the Bradley Law Firm, and the Edward T. Coombs Foundation.To learn more about our story visit http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org.

ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS – PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game. The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.