July is a long, difficult month for college football fans. On the horizon is football, actual football, but it remains far enough out of reach to test the stamina of the average Paul Finebaum caller. Monday's news brought something of an oasis with the announcement of preseason watch lists for the Bednarik and Maxwell Awards. A trio of Florida State players were on the lists.
The Bednarik Award honors the top defensive player in college football. The Maxwell Award does the same for the offense. Seminoles quarterback EJ Manuel missed only one game, but was sidelined in parts of three others with injuries. He threw a pair of fourth quarter passes to beat Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl. After the game, it was revealed that Manuel played through a broken leg.
A complete preseason watch list is available here along with the scheduled release of other watch lists in the days ahead.
Names on the Bednarik Award watch list include:
- S Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
- CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
The only player to make an appearance on the Maxwell Award watch list was:
- QB EJ Manuel, Florida State
For more Florida State coverage, visit Tomahawk Nation. For more coverage and comment from around the country, visit SB Nation's college football hub.