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Boise State Athletics
Madsen, Riley Selected to Maxwell Award Watch List
8/3/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
BOISE, Idaho – Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen and running back Dylan Riley were selected to the Maxwell Award Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced. The award is presented annually to the college football player of the year. The Broncos are one of 16 FBS teams and the only Pac-12 institution to have multiple players included on the 81-member watch list.
This is the second-straight season Madsen has been featured on the Maxwell Award Watch List. The quarterback enters his fifth year at Boise State ranking eighth in school history with 507 completions, 6,586 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was a member of the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2024, earning All-Mountain West honorable mention and helping the Broncos reach the College Football Playoff. In 2025, he was named Offensive MVP of the MW Championship, totaling 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead Boise State to its third-straight conference title. He ranks seventh in school history with 7,009 total yards and is one of four players in program history to average over 200 total yards per game. The Broncos are 19-2 in games Madsen starts and finishes, including a 13-0 mark against conference foes.
Riley was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for the first time in his career following a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him lead Boise State with 1,125 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He ranked second in the MW in rushing yards and yards per rush (5.77). He became the first player in program history to run for four touchdowns and catch another in a single game, totaling five scores and 255 yards from scrimmage at Air Force. He averaged 13.4 yards per carry in a win against UNLV, the fourth-best single-game total in school history, finishing with 201 yards on 15 attempts. He was tabbed All-MW second team and collected a pair of MW Offensive Player of the Week honors. As a true freshman, he averaged a team-best 29.6 yards per kick return, scoring on a 96-yard return against Utah State.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on November 10. Three finalists for the award will be unveiled on November 24. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, televised live on December 10. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2024, running back Ashton Jeanty became the first player in Boise State history to win the Maxwell Award.
Broncos on 2026 Watch Lists
QB Maddux Madsen (Maxwell Award, East-West Bowl 1000, AFCA Good Hands Team Nominee)
RB Dylan Riley (Maxwell Award)
TE Matt Wagner (East-West Bowl 1000)
OL Roger Carreon (East-West Bowl 1000)
OL Daylon Metoyer (East-West Bowl 1000)
EDGE Jayden Virgin-Morgan (East-West Bowl 1000)
DB Jaden Mickey (East-West Bowl 1000)
DB JeRico Washington Jr. (East-West Bowl 1000)
HC Spencer Danielson (Dodd Trophy)
This is the second-straight season Madsen has been featured on the Maxwell Award Watch List. The quarterback enters his fifth year at Boise State ranking eighth in school history with 507 completions, 6,586 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was a member of the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2024, earning All-Mountain West honorable mention and helping the Broncos reach the College Football Playoff. In 2025, he was named Offensive MVP of the MW Championship, totaling 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead Boise State to its third-straight conference title. He ranks seventh in school history with 7,009 total yards and is one of four players in program history to average over 200 total yards per game. The Broncos are 19-2 in games Madsen starts and finishes, including a 13-0 mark against conference foes.
Riley was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for the first time in his career following a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him lead Boise State with 1,125 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He ranked second in the MW in rushing yards and yards per rush (5.77). He became the first player in program history to run for four touchdowns and catch another in a single game, totaling five scores and 255 yards from scrimmage at Air Force. He averaged 13.4 yards per carry in a win against UNLV, the fourth-best single-game total in school history, finishing with 201 yards on 15 attempts. He was tabbed All-MW second team and collected a pair of MW Offensive Player of the Week honors. As a true freshman, he averaged a team-best 29.6 yards per kick return, scoring on a 96-yard return against Utah State.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on November 10. Three finalists for the award will be unveiled on November 24. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, televised live on December 10. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2024, running back Ashton Jeanty became the first player in Boise State history to win the Maxwell Award.
Broncos on 2026 Watch Lists
QB Maddux Madsen (Maxwell Award, East-West Bowl 1000, AFCA Good Hands Team Nominee)
RB Dylan Riley (Maxwell Award)
TE Matt Wagner (East-West Bowl 1000)
OL Roger Carreon (East-West Bowl 1000)
OL Daylon Metoyer (East-West Bowl 1000)
EDGE Jayden Virgin-Morgan (East-West Bowl 1000)
DB Jaden Mickey (East-West Bowl 1000)
DB JeRico Washington Jr. (East-West Bowl 1000)
HC Spencer Danielson (Dodd Trophy)
--BroncoSports.com--
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