Missouri Tigers’ Damarea Crockett named to Maxwell Award watch list

Damarea Crockett was named to the Maxwell Award watch list this week.

After Missouri Tigers running back Damarea Crockett had such a spectacular freshman season, expectations are sky-high heading into his sophomore campaign. That was exemplified this week, when Crockett was among 85 players named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is given on a yearly basis to the best player in college football as voted on by NCAA head coaches and media members.

While his odds of actually winning aren’t too great on a Mizzou team that isn’t expected to be exceptionally competitive this season, Crockett has some extra incentive to take home the Maxwell Award, as he’d be the first Missouri player ever to win it.

Despite the fact that he started just two games, Crockett was the Tigers’ most impactful offensive player as a freshman, setting Mizzou freshman records for rushing yards (1,062), rushing touchdowns (10), rushing yards in a game (225), and rushing touchdowns in a game (4), which was also an overall Mizzou record. He missed the final game of the season due to an arrest for marijuana possession, but there are still major hopes and dreams for him as he enters the 2017 season.

Next: Marcell Frazier named to Bednarik Award watch list

With the expectation that he could take more carries away from incumbent starter Ish Witter–and as Mizzou continues to trend towards a more balanced offensive attack–Crockett could become one of the premier running backs in the SEC this year.