MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State junior running back Deuce Vaughn was one of 85 players in the nation and eight from the Big 12 to earn a nod on the watch list for the 86th Maxwell Award presented annually to the outstanding player in college football, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
K-State said it is the second-straight season Vaughn is up for the Maxwell Award, while it marks the seventh time a Wildcat has been a candidate for one of the top honors in college football in the last six seasons. Quarterback Skylar Thompson was also a preseason candidate in 2021, while running backs James Gilbert (2019) and Alex Barnes (2018), in addition to quarterback Jesse Ertz (2017) were also on the initial lists during the current streak. Vaughn and Thompson are the only two players in school history to be a candidate for the Maxwell Award multiple times.