PHILADELPHIA – Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop has been named to the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
The Maxwell Award has been presented annually since 1937 to the nation’s most outstanding player in college football. The award is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
A Knoxville native and former walk-on, Bishop enters the 2026 season as one of the SEC’s premier running backs after earning second-team All-SEC honors in his first season as Tennessee’s starter in 2025. The Karns High School product is the Vols’ first returning 1,000-yard rusher since Jalen Hurd in 2016.
Bishop rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns on 182 carries last season while starting all 13 games. He also added 15 receptions for 135 yards and finished with a team-best 1,211 all-purpose yards (93.2 per game). His 16 rushing touchdowns tied for second in the SEC and ranked sixth nationally while also tying for the fourth-most rushing scores in a single season in Tennessee history.
Bishop ranked fourth in the SEC in rushing yards (1,076), fifth in rushing yards per game (82.8) and fourth in yards per carry (5.9). He eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark three times and showcased his physical running style by totaling 649 rushing yards after contact.
In 23 career games, Bishop has rushed for 1,531 yards and 19 touchdowns on 256 carries while averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. He has also recorded four career 100-yard rushing performances.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 10, 2026, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 24, 2026. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 10, 2026. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
