PHILADELPHIA – Delaware’s Nick Minicucci and Jax State’s Caden Creel have been announced to the 90^th Maxwell Award Watch List, announced Monday by the Maxwell Football Club. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
 
Minicucci emerged as one of the nation’s most productive signal callers in 2026, earning 68 Ventures Bowl Offensive MVP honors along with Second Team All-Conference USA recognition. The Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025 member completed 322-512 passes for 3,683 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding a team-high 10 rushing scores. He ranked sixth nationally in passing yards and eighth in passing yards per game, becoming one of only two FBS players to eclipse 3,500 passing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns while rewriting Delaware’s single-season record book.
 
After appearing in all 14 games and earning starts in the final nine, Creel emerged as one of the nation's most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks. He completed 130-211 passes for 1,514 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 1,076 yards and seven scores on 183 attempts. Creel recorded six games with at least 100 passing and 100 rushing yards. His standout performances included a career-best 204 passing yards and 143 rushing yards with three total touchdowns in a win over Western Kentucky, while he also led a game-winning drive at Sam Houston and closed the season by guiding his team to a victory in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl over Troy.
 
The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by four returning semifinalists, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and Dante Moore (Oregon). The full list consists of 81 players with Miami and Ohio State leading the way with three candidates each and an additional 14 schools having two players represented. The Big Ten boasts 17 candidates followed by the SEC with 16 and the Big 12 and ACC having 15 players each.
 
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine in the game.
 
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 10, 2026, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 24, 2026. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2026. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
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, NFL Foundation, College Sports Communicators, SRA Inc, Vertical Raise, Quinco Inc, the ETC Foundation and the Bradley Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.