A Trio Of Buckeyes Make Award Cuts

The Buckeyes are one of six undefeated teams in Division I-FBS as the calendar moves from October to November and as you can imagine, the national awards are taking notice of several Ohio State players.

A pair of Buckeyes are still in the running for the Maxwell Award as both quarterback CJ Stroud and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. have made the cut of semifinalists. The award goes to the national player of the year.

Stroud has thrown for 2,377 yards on the season along with a NCAA-high (tied) 29 touchdowns. Stroud has a completion percentage of 71.3 on the season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. has emerged as a major threat for the Buckeyes this season, partly with the absence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but we already had a chance in the 2022 Rose Bowl to see that this was going to be a year for the young wide receiver. Harrison has 48 receptions for 783 yards and 10 scores through Ohio State’s first eight games.

Ohio State has had four winners of the Maxwell award in the past with Eddie George being the most recent winner back in 1995.

The Bednarik Award also updated its list of semifinalists to include Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. This award goes to the defensive player of the year.

Eichenberg leads the Buckeyes with 72 tackles on the season, 43 unassisted. He also has racked up seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year along with an interception (returned for a touchdown), four QB hurries and two pass breakups.

The Buckeyes have taken home the Bednarik once in the short history of the award with Chase Young winning the hardware in 2019. Current members of the Big Ten have won the award in 10 of the 27 seasons that the Bednarik has been presented.

We will learn who the finalists are for each award in the coming weeks with both awards to be announced in early December.

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