Navy Quarterback Blake Horvath Earns Maxwell Award Watch List Spot

The Navy Midshipmen were the only service academy with a football player named to this year's Maxwell Award watch list for the upcoming season.

Quarterback Blake Horvath is returning for his senior season and after an outstanding showcase last year he was one of 80 players selected as one to watch for the rapidly approaching 2025 season.

The Maxwell Award has been presented since 1937 to the best player in the country that season. The award honors the legacy of Robert Maxwell who was a standout athlete at Swarthmore College.

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Maxwell was nicknamed Tiny, because he was quite the opposite for his time. At 6-foot 240 pounds he led his team to a 15-4 record during his collegiate time. He was taken too young when he passed at just 38 years old in a car accident in 1922.

Horvath was the heart and soul of last year's Midshipmen squad leading them to a 10-3 record and a hard-fought win in their bowl game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Their quarterback posted 1,353 yards in the air with an additional 1,254 carrying the ball, which led all of Navy's rushers. The offense was averaging over 31 points of offense last season after Horvath tallied up 30 on the year.

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The Navy was able to pull wins over both of their fellow armed forces institutions — the Air Force Falcons and the West Point Army Black Knights outscoring the pair, 65-20.

This year's list is headlined by a pair of semifinalists from the previous season — quarterbacks Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt). Boise State star Ashton Jeanty, who was a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, was last year's recipient.

Penn State was the only institution to have three players selected to this year's watch list: Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen.

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It should come as no surprise that both the SEC and the ACC had 17 candidates listed by the Maxwell Football Club, but Horvath could be the underdog to watch.

The Navy opens up their season against Virginia Military Institute on Aug. 30. Their toughest contest on the season will come against Notre Dame in November and if they are able to pull off a win it would be extremely helpful for both the playoff race and Horvath's individual accolades.

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