ORLANDO – As the UCF football team opened fall camp Monday morning, national attention is already focused on The City Beautiful. The Maxwell Football Club announced that UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III has been named to the Maxwell Award Watch List to begin the 2026 season.
The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football. 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 Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
After leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff in 2025, Barnett joins the Knights out of the transfer portal for his final season of collegiate football. The rising redshirt senior was named Sun Belt Player of the Year after his remarkable 2025 campaign. He threw for 2,806 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 589 yards on the ground with 15 touchdowns. The Whitsett, N.C. native has compiled 72 touchdowns throughout his impressive career, tallying 49 via the pass and 23 by way of the run.
Barnett is the only Big 12 Conference quarterback with prior College Football Playoff experience. He spun two touchdowns and scrambled for another in the playoff game against the then-No. 5 Ducks in Autzen Stadium.
Barnett’s nod adds to the list of storied former UCF athletes that have earned recognition on the preseason docket. Jaden Nixon earned a nod to the watch list last year, while RJ Harvey made the list in 2024.
UCF’s last Maxwell Award semifinalist will be coaching Barnett in 2026; quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton earned semifinalist nods in 2017 and 2018.
The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by four returning semifinalists, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and Dante Moore (Oregon). The full list consists of 81 players with Miami and Ohio State leading the way with three candidates each and an additional 14 schools having two players represented. The Big Ten boasts 17 candidates followed by the SEC with 16 and the Big 12 and ACC having 15 players each.
Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University was the 2025 Maxwell Award winner and was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick of the NFL draft.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 10, 2026, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 24, 2026. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2026. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026 campaign are on sale and can be purchased here! Be sure to be a part of all the action as the Knights play their 20th season in Acrisure Bounce House.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.