Jeanty, Hunter honored at the 88th Annual Maxwell Football Club Awards Ceremony

College Sports, Football, High School | March 17, 2025 by Max Wolborsky | 0 Comments

The 88th Annual Maxwell Football Club Awards Ceremony was held on Friday night at the College Football Hall of Fame as some of the best and brightest stars in the sport were honored for the accomplishments that took place during the 2024 football season.

The ceremony highlighted a handful of players and coaches from around the sport, recognizing them each for their accomplishments last season.

Boise State running back, Ashton Jeanty took home the headlining prize of the night winning the 2024 Maxwell Player of the Year Award while 2024 Heisman Trophy-winner and Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter won the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in college football in his time with the Buff’s last season.

Hunter, a Georgia-product who attended Collins Hill, extended his thanks to all the coaches at Collins Hill who have helped him reach this point in his career.

“I just became more mature,” said the former No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2022. “A lot of people helped me out, so I was blessed to have great coaches to help me.”

The Heisman-winner is coming off of a season where he recorded 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense while adding 35 total tackles, 11 pass deflections, four interceptions and a forced fumble while playing on both sides of the ball.

In 2024, Hunter played in 1,269 snaps showing off his impressive stamina and will to compete week-in-and-week-out.

Along with the player awards that were distributed, Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman was the recipient of the George Munger College Football Coach of the Year Award after leading the Fighting Irish to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance since 2020, and their first national title game appearance since 2012.

The Irish recorded a 14-2 record including a No. 7-seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff that featured wins over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State before losing to No. 8-seed Ohio State in the national championship.

Freeman and the Irish know there is plenty of work to do if Notre Dame wants to replicate the success they had a year ago.

“I think we are going to have to use the experiences we have and use it as a foundation for the future,” said Freeman. “We can’t start back over, we have to use the highs, the lows and the experiences that got us to this point to make sure we are in a better position moving forward.”

This year was the first time the Maxwell Awards recognized a High School Girls Flag Football Player of the Year as Ava Wallace of the Texas Fury was named the first ever recipient of the award after throwing for over 100 touchdowns in 2024.

“It’s a true honor to represent women all around the country,” said Wallace. “I am so proud to be the first winner of it.”

Along with the long list of winners, one of the top-recruits in the Class of 2025 former Duncanville, now-Alabama quarterback, Keelon Russell, took home the 18th annual High School Player of the Year Award.

Russell was rated as the No. 2 player in the country in the Class of 2025 after throwing for 4,177 yards, 55 touchdowns and four interceptions a year ago. The Duncanville-native won a handful of awards throughout last season including MaxPreps All-American as well as the 2024 National Gatorade Player of the Year.

Russell enrolled early on-campus in Tuscaloosa and has begun training with the team during spring practice ahead of the season this fall.

“The environment has been great, it’s been settled,” said Russell. “Everyone is looking for the guy and we have a phenomenal quarterback room and even more phenomenal people around us.”

Here’s a list of each award winner at The 88th Annual Maxwell Football Club Awards Ceremony:

88th Annual Maxwell Award, College Player of the Year: Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty

30th Annual Chuck Bednarik Award, College Defensive Player of the Year: Colorado CB/WR, Travis Hunter

66th Annual Bert Bell Award, Professional Player of the Year: Philadelphia Eagles RB, Saquon Barkley

20th Annual Maxwell Legends Award, Legend of the Game: UGA RB, Herschel Walker

36th Annual Earle “Greasy” Neale Award, Professional Coach of the Year: Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott

7th Annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award: Texas EDGE, Colin Simmons

36th Annual George Munger Award, College Coach of the Year: Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman

27th Annual Andy Talley Award, College Regional Coach of the Year: Army HC, Jeff Monken

37th Annual Francis “Reds” Bagnell Award: Former Collegiate Head Coach Mack Brown

24th Annual Brian Westbrook Award, College Regional Player of the Year: Army QB, Bryson Dailey

HBCU Award, Contributions to HBCU Football: Willie Jefferies