Watch list season opens with Maxwell and Bednarik
July marks the start of watch list season and the Buckeyes had three players named to watch lists on Tuesday as the first pair of lists, the Maxwell and Bednarik, were released.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The season must be getting close because the award watch lists are starting to come out and despite the Buckeyes not having many returning starters, the ones that are coming back are going to be highly thought of by the award selection committees.
The Maxwell award is handed out to college football's player of the year and junior quarterback J.T. Barrett is on the watch list that includes 90 players. Barrett finished 5th in Heisman Trophy voting after his freshman season and then split time with Cardale Jones during his sophomore campaign. Barrett needs 11 touchdowns to tie Braxton Miller's school record of 88 touchdowns responsible for.
See the full watch list for the Maxwell here
Eddie George was that last Buckeye to win the Maxwell award in 1995. Ohio State has had four players win the award since it was first handed out in 1937.
The Bednarik also dropped its list on Tuesday and both Raekwon McMillan and Tyquan Lewis have made the cut. This award goes out to the defensive player of the year in college football.
McMillan has already been named a captain at Ohio State (along with Barrett and offensive center Pat Elflein) and was a Butkus Award finalist last season at linebacker and was named to the first team of the All-Big Ten last season. This will be McMillan's junior season in Columbus and could very well likely be his last season with the NFL looking like a near certainty for the Hinesville (Ga.) native.
Lewis led the Buckeyes in sacks last season with eight on a line that included both Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington. Lewis is a true junior and is another player that could be considering a NFL run with a strong 2016 campaign but it Lewis' decision may be a little more difficult than McMillan's. Lewis has played in 28 games for Ohio State with 13 starts during his career after joining Ohio State from Tarboro (N.C.)
See the full watch list for the Bednarik here
The Bednarik Award was first presented in 1995 to Pat Fitzgerald out of Northwestern and no Ohio State player has won the award in its 20-plus year existence.
The Mackey Award (Top Tight End) and Rimington Award (Top Center) will release their watch lists on Wednesday.