PHILADELPHIA — Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Cedric Tillman have been named to the preseason Maxwell Award watchlist, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
The Maxwell Award has been presented annually to the top player in college football since 1937. Tennessee is one of four SEC teams and 13 teams overall with multiple selections on the 85-man list.
Hooker will be embarking on his sixth year of college football this season and is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He set program records for completion percentage, total yards, and total touchdowns during the 2021 season.
The Virginia Tech transfer was a Davey O'Brien Award finalist in 2021. That award is given to the top quarterback in the nation.
Tillman joins Hooker on the Maxwell watchlist as one of the top returning wide receivers in the nation. The wide receiver is also a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award for the top player at that position. He holds the Tennessee record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch with seven, and that streak will still be active when the season begins.
Peyton Manning is the only Vol to ever win the Maxwell Award, doing so in 1997.
