Longhorn RB Jonathon Brooks and DL T’Vondre Sweat Named to Midseason Award Watch Lists

Texas Longhorn running back Jonathon Brooks and defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat have been named to the Maxwell Award and Bednarik Award midseason watch lists.

Not only were Texas Longhorn running back Jonathon Brooks and defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat named to the AP Midseason All-American teams this past week, but they have been named to an award watch list.

The Maxwell Football Club announced on Thursday that Brooks and Sweat were named to the midseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Bednarik Awards, respectively. 

The Maxwell Award has been given to College Football's Player of the Year since 1937 while the Bednarik Award has been handed to the Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. 

Brooks' 726 total rushing yards in the entire season placed him at No. 9 among all ball carriers in college football. Meanwhile, most impressively, the Texas running back ranks No. 4 nationally in yards per game, averaging about 121. 

Jonathon Brooks rushes for a touchdown / © Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman

Defensively speaking, Sweat has recorded eight solo tackles and 18 tackles total. He has registered four quarterback hurries as well as tackles for loss and one sack. The Huntsville, Texas native has been a key component to the Longhorns' defense that is allowing just 112.3 rushing yards per game.

The players who were called for this award, including Brooks and Sweat, will all be evaluated in hopes of becoming semifinalists for each of these individual awards. On Monday, Nov. 13, the watch lists for these awards will be narrowed to a semifinalist group. Three finalists will then be named for each respective award on November 28, 2023.

ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023, will name the recipients of the 87th Maxwell Award and 29th Chuck Bednarik Award.