TUSCALOOSA—The accolades keep pouring for Alabama football, as Jalen Hurts, Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster were all recognized as semifinalists by the Maxwell Football Club.
Hurts and Allen were two of 18 players announced as candidates for the Maxwell Award on Monday afternoon, an honor that is presented to college football’s player of the year.
Allen, a senior, has a team-high 10 quarterback hurries, while adding 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and two fumble returns (105 yards) for touchdowns. Hurts, a true freshman, has been solid at quarterback since taking the starting job in week two. He’s accounted for 1,578 passing yards with 12 touchdowns, while totaling 521 yards rushing and nine scores through eight games. Hurts’ has completed 63.2 percent of his throws and his quarterback rating of 142.72 stands fourth in the Southeastern Conference. His 262.4 yards of total offense leads all freshmen within the conference and ranks him fourth among all conference players.
Former Alabama standouts Derrick Henry and AJ McCarron were the first two players to win the Maxwell Award in recent history. Henry earned the honor last season, while McCarron won in 2013.
Allen and Reuben Foster (senior) were two of 18 semifinalists named for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented to college football’s defensive player of the year. Foster leads the team in tackles (53), and has 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He’s been dominant on a unit that has limited opponents to 14.9 points, 70.1 rushing yards, 204.4 passing yards and 275 total yards a game.
Finalists for both Maxwell and Bednarik honors will be announced on Nov. 21, with winners being announced on Dec. 8 on ESPN at the College Football Award Show in Atlanta, Ga.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
