July 5, 2016
RENO, Nev. - Nevada junior running back James Butler has been named to the official watch list for the 80th-annual Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Tuesday. The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the best player in college football.
Butler is one of 90 players in FBS and is one of 40 running backs in the nation to be named to the watch list. Butler is also joined by four additional Mountain West representatives on the list in Air Force's Jacobi Owens, Boise State's Jeremy McNichols, Wyoming's Brian Hill and San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey.
A 5-foot-9, 210 pound running back out of Bloomingdale, Ill., Butler enters his junior season with excitement after rushing for 1,977 yards and 15 touchdowns as an underclassmen. Butler earned All-Mountain West honors as a sophomore, rushing for 1,153 yards and eight touchdowns while becoming the first sophomore to eclipse 1,000-yards rushing in a single season at Nevada since Vai Taua in 2008. As a true freshman, Butler rushed 140 times for 635 yards and five scores in 2014 while ranking 16th in the nation in rushing yards by freshman.
In addition to being named to the Maxwell Award watch list, Butler has also earned preseason all-conference honors from Lindy's and Athlon Sport's preseason publications. The watch list for the Doak Walker award will be released on July 14.
The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell, has been given to America's College Player of the Year since 1937. Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced October 31, 2016, while the three finalists will be unveiled on November 21, 2016. The winner of the 2016 Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 8, 2016.
Butler is one of 15 returning starters that will look to lead the Wolf Pack in 2016. Nevada opens the season at the newly-renovated Mackay Stadium on Friday, Sept. 2 against Cal Poly. Season tickets for the upcoming season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (775) 348-PACK or by visiting NevadaWolfPack.com/tickets/.
