ORLANDO – The Maxwell Football Club announced its watch lists for the 83rd annual Maxwell Award and the 25th annual Chuck Bednarik Award Monday afternoon, and UCF’s Adrian Killins Jr. and Richie Grant were among those honored.
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 time as a player, a sportswriter and an official.
Heading into his senior season with the Knights, Killins is a three-time all-conference honoree, earning the honors in 2018 for both a running back and a return specialist. The Daytona Beach native is currently the UCF record holder with a career 5.75 yards per carry average and is tied for seventh in program history with 25 career touchdowns.
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 '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.
Grant, a junior in 2019, returns as UCF’s leader on the defense. Last season he led the Knights with six interceptions, which ranked third in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision. He had 109 total tackles and earned first team all-conference accolades.
The Maxwell and Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced October 29, 2019, while the three finalists for each award will be unveiled November 25, 2019. The winners of the 2019 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2019. The formal presentations of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel &Casino Atlantic City on March 13, 2020.