Ole Miss’ Wallace, Prewitt Make Preseason Watch Lists

OXFORD, Miss. (Ole Miss Athletics) – Preseason watch lists for two of college football’s top awards – the Maxwell Award and Chuck Bednarik Award – were announced Monday, with Ole Miss seniors Bo Wallace and Cody Prewitt among those listed.

Wallace, entering his third season as the Rebels’ starting quarterback, makes the Maxwell Award watch list for the second straight year. The Pulaski, Tennessee, native who has claimed bowl game MVP honors each of the last two seasons has also been named preseason All-SEC by Phil Steele, Athlon and Lindy’s. He enters his senior year ranked second in school history in total offense (7,085 yards) and passing (6,340 yards) and first in passing efficiency (140.2) and completion percentage (64.3).

Former Rebel Eli Manning won the Maxwell Award in 2003.

Prewitt earned first team All-America honors as a free safety last year when he led the SEC and ranked among the nation’s leaders with six interceptions. The Bay Springs, Mississippi, native has been tabbed by most of the preseason magazines to repeat as an All-American in 2014. He was also a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell’s contributions to the game of football were extensive, including as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 1969 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of 1967.

Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced Nov. 3, 2014, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled Nov. 24, 2014. The winners of the 2014 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 11, 2014. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Revel Casino Hotel Atlantic City on March 6, 2015.

The watch list candidates have been chosen by the Maxwell Football Club’s selection committee, which analyzes both past performance and future potential. The Club reserves the right to make additions and deletions to these lists as the 2014 season unfolds. All members of the Maxwell Football Club, NCAA sports information directors, FBS head coaches and selected national media are eligible to vote for the awards.