Rashard Higgins of Colorado State continues to rack up preseason accolades as the nation’s top receiver in 2014 was named Tuesday to the prestigious Maxwell Award watch list. The annual award honors the top College Football Player of the Year judged by media, coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club.

The Maxwell Award selected 80 players it deems as the best in college football. Higgins is one of 11 wide receivers on the list. Additionally, he is one of 19 players from a Group-of-Five school.

Higgins has a lengthy list of preseason honors, already being named to Phil Steele’s and Sporting News’ preaseason All-America first teams. Earlier this spring, he was one of 17 Players to Watch in 2015 by the Touchdown Club of Columbus and he enters the 2015 season as the only returning Biletnikoff Award finalist and one of four returning consensus or unanimous All-America position players.

Later this fall, The Maxwell Award will narrow its list to semifinalists and finalists, before announcing the winner in December at The Home Depot College Football Awards in Atlanta, Ga. The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Football Player of the Year since 1937.

Through Friday, July 17, members of the National College Football Awards Association will unveil their preseason watch lists for 16 different awards.


Mike Tolbert, a Mile High Sports intern and MSU-Denver student, contributed to this report