The watch lists of multiple postseason awards have been released. Most awards have a UGA football player on their radars.
The Maxwell Football Club recently announced the watch list for the 2020 Maxwell Award. UGA football quarterback Jamie Newman is one of 13 SEC players on the 90-man watchlist. The recognition on the Maxwell Award list is the latest for Newman and the UGA football team in general.
The Heisman Trophy doesn’t have an official watch list, but Newman is high up the betting odds list for college football’s most coveted individual award. Newman is also included on the Davey O’Brien Award (quarterbacks) watch list. He isn’t the only graduate transfer to appear on a preseason list. Tight end Tre’ McKitty earned a spot on the watch list for the John Mackey Award (tight ends).
Both James Cook and Zamir White appear on the Doak Walker Award (running backs) watch list. Cook’s inclusion is surprising since misuse by previous offensive coordinators has limited Cook to less than 700 yards of offense across two seasons. The makers of the list must have a lot of confidence in Todd Monken’s ability to turn Georgia’s offense around.
After a stellar freshman season, George Pickens begins in the 2020 campaign on the Fred Biletnikoff Award (pass catchers) watch list.
Surprisingly, Center Trey Hill is the only Bulldog on the Outland Trophy (interior lineman) list. Nose guard Jordan Davis might be the best interior defensive lineman in the nation, so his exclusion is confusing. Hill also appears on the Rimington Trophy (centers) list.
Several defensive awards include Richard LeCounte III and Eric Stokes. The two great defensive backs are on both defensive MVP award lists (Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy) and the Jim Thorpe Award (defensive backs) watch list. Inside linebacker Monty Rice joins LeCounte and Stokes on the Bronko Nagurski watch list.
The shortest watch list released so far is for the Ray Guy Award (punters), yet even that list includes a Jake Camarda who, despite some inconsistencies, improved massively before last season.