Washington State QB Cam Ward named to Maxwell Award watch list

July 31, 2023 Updated Mon., July 31, 2023 at 5:45 p.m.

Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward (1) smiles between plays during the second half of a college football on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. WSU won the game 28-9. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review) Buy this photo

By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com (509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – The award watch lists are starting to roll in at Washington State.

The Cougars’ first such honor goes to quarterback Cameron Ward, who was named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the most outstanding player in college football.

Last fall, in his debut season at WSU, Ward completed 320 of 497 passes (64%) for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. He led the Cougars to their seventh straight bowl game, where they fell to Fresno State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, and he earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors.

Ward looks poised to build on that this fall. He’ll work with second-year head coach Jake Dickert and first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to run the Air Raid offense, which Arbuckle coached at his previous stop, Western Kentucky.

Other names on the Maxwell Award watch list include USC quarterback Caleb Williams (2022 winner), Brock Bowers (Georgia), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Bo Nix (Oregon), Cam Rising (Utah), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and Blake Corum (Michigan).