PHILADELPHIA – Texas State's Ismail Mahdi and Jordan McCloud were named to the watch list for the 88th Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the outstanding player in college football, on Monday.
 
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.
 
A total of 80 players are on the full list with 17 schools having at least two nominees. Of those 17 programs, just two were from a non-Power 4 conference in the Bobcats and Liberty. The TXST duo also accounted for two of the three student-athletes from the Sun Belt Conference.
 
Mahdi, who was named was named to the All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team twice, is coming off a season in which he led the country in all-purpose yards with 2,169. Most of his total came on the ground as the junior running back ran fro 1,331 yards on 223 carries. He also scored 10 of his 12 touchdowns on the ground while also recording one touchdown reception and returning a kickoff 100 yards for a score.
 
His performance in his first year in San Marcos saw Mahdi be named to six All-American teams. The Murphy, Texas native also was a two-time all-conference selection with first team accolades as an all-purpose back and second team honors as a return specialist.
 
McCloud joined Texas State after a very productive season at fellow conference member James Madison. He threw for 3,657 yards with 35 touchdowns, completed 68.2% (281-of-412) of his passes, ran for 276 and scored a team-high eight rushing touchdowns on his way to being named the Sun Belt's Player of the Year. The redshirt senior was also a Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Year semifinalist and was selected as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week three times last November.
 
For his career, McCloud has thrown for nearly 7,000 yards with 58 touchdowns through the air and adding 13 on the ground. The Sun Belt's coaches pick the Tampa, Florida native to the all-conference preseason first team.
 
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selections committee partners. PFF Provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of the selection committee. Phil Steel's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
 
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Nov. 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled Nov. 26, 2024. The winner of the 88 Maxwell Award will be announced as aprt of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Wards Show that will be held on Dec. 12, 2024. The formal presentation of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, Mar. 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
Season tickets and single-game tickets for the 2024 Texas State football season are on sale now at TXST.com/tickets.