Nebraska Quarterback Adrian Martinez Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

Some day we would like to see wins that go along with Nebraska football players on watch lists. That day has yet to come.

Nebraska announced that Adrian Martinez was named to the Maxwell Award watch list.

Statement from the University:

University of Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez earned preseason recognition on Friday morning, as he was named to the Maxwell Award watch list.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, a former standout at the Swarthmore College and a renowned sports writer and football official.

Martinez, who was also named to the Maxwell Award watch list in 2019, has started the last two seasons of the Huskers. The Fresno, Calif., native started 10 games as a sophomore, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 1,956 yards and 10 TDs, while also rushing for 626 yards and seven scores. He ranked third in the Big Ten in total offense per game (258.2 ypg).

In his first two seasons, Martinez has tied or set 11 marks, including NU’s career record for games with at least 400 yards of total offense (four). He is one of just four active FBS quarterbacks with at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his career, while his 277.5 yards per game ranks fourth among active FBS quarterbacks. He already ranks seventh in school history in passing yards and fifth in total offense.

Martinez is bidding to be the Huskers’ fifth Maxwell Award winner, as Mike Rozier (1983), Tommie Frazier (1995), Eric Crouch (2001) and Ndamukong Suh (2009).

We forget how well Martinez played in 2018. It was obviously enough to catapult him to the Maxwell watch list after a underwhelming 2019 season.

Coach Frost has mentioned that Martinez was not as well prepared for some of the games as Frost would have liked. Martinez would likely agree. Martinez also battled through injuries in 2019 as he had a wrap over his shoulder and his knee. He was looking more like a future cyborg than a quarterback for Nebraska.