Pitt, Penn State players earn prestigious preseason recognition

A pair of Pitt football players and three from Penn State are listed among the nation’s top preseason contenders for the Maxwell Award, which is presented to the most outstanding player in college football.

The 80-member Maxwell Award Watch List includes Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid, as well as a senior Nittany Lions trio — quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

The watch list includes all Division I FBS programs. Pitt and Penn State are among 17 teams to have multiple representatives on the list.

• Reid, a senior, ran for 966 yards, and had 579 receiving yards and 159 punt return yards last season with 10 total touchdowns. He averaged 154.9 all-purpose yards per game, the most among all returning players.

• Holstein, a redshirt sophomore, threw for 2,228 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 62% of his passes (180 of 291). He also was Pitt’s second-leading rusher with 328 yards and three scores.

• Allar has completed 63% of his career passes for 6,302 yards and 53 touchdowns, while adding 560 rushing yards and 11 scores. He ranks first all-time at Penn State in completion percentage (62.9) and interception percentage (1.19). Last season, he threw for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns, while rushing for 302 yards and six touchdowns.

• Allen has rushed for 2,877 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career, averaging 5.1 yards per rush. Has added 52 receptions for 422 yards and four touchdowns. In 2024, he rushed for 1,108 yards with eight touchdowns, adding 18 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

• Singleton, a Walter Camp Football Foundation Preseason All-America honoree, has 2,912 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, 78 receptions, 768 receiving yards, eight touchdowns and 993 kick return yards in his career. He leads returning FBS players with 4,673 career all-purpose yards.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Swarthmore’s Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, has been presented since 1937. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 11, with finalists named Nov. 25. The winner will be revealed Dec. 11.