ORLANDO – The Maxwell Football Club announced its watch list for the 85th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football, and UCF's Dillon Gabriel was among the honorees.
The Maxwell Award is proudly sponsored by Mammoth Tech and The Athletes' Corner, which are Executive Partners of the Maxwell Football Club.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at the Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Gabriel is one of six returning semifinalists from 2020, joining Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), Breece Hall (Iowa State), D'Eriq King (Miami), and Sam Howell (North Carolina).
In just two seasons at UCF, Gabriel has cracked the program's top-10 in 11 categories, and currently holds the Knights records for interceptions per attempt (0.14), passing yards per attempt (8.91), and passing yards per completion (14.9).
Gabriel threw for 3,570 yards and 32 passing touchdowns in just 10 games as a sophomore in 2020, earning second-team all-conference honors. He extended his streak of at least one passing touchdown to 23 games and set a UCF record with 18 consecutive completions in the win at ECU.
The Knights will open preseason camp in less than two weeks and will begin the 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Boise State at the Bounce House.