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Two Longhorns Appear on Maxwell Award Watch List for 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 4:25 PM ET

We're roughly a month away from the start of the 2025 college football season.

Numerous watch lists and polls will debut over the next few weeks. Texas is likely to be a main feature in many of them. The Longhorns are expected to begin the season ranked one of the top three teams in the nation and have many players on the roster who are among the best in the country.

Two Texas players were tabbed to the Maxwell Award Watch List on Monday. Running back Quintrevion Wisner and quarterback Arch Manning each earned their first spot on the preseason watch list.

The Maxwell Award is given annually to the College Football Player of the Year.

Wisner is expected to split carries with CJ Baxter, who was injured the whole 2024 season due to a knee injury. Baxter was ranked the No. 1 running back in the nation for the 2023 recruiting class. Wisner is the only returning 1,000 yard rusher in the SEC. The combination of Wisner and Baxter will be extremely beneficial for inexperienced quarterback Arch Manning.

The hype surrounding Manning this season is massive. The quarterback phenom is already listed as a favorite to win the Davey O'Brien Award and Heisman Trophy in 2025.

If Texas is to live up to the extremely high expectations this season, they'll need a strong year from Manning and Wisner.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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