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ASU Football: Wilkins, Harry make preseason Maxwell Award Watch List

By Trevor Booth

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Manny Wilkins #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils scrambles as he is contained by defensive back Adoree' Jackson #2 and defensive back Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Manny Wilkins #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils scrambles as he is contained by defensive back Adoree' Jackson #2 and defensive back Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Los Angeles Coliseum on October 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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ASU football quarterback Manny Wilkins and wide receiver N’Keal Harry were recognized as candidates for the 82nd annual Maxwell Award Monday morning.

With less than seven weeks remaining until college football dawns upon the summer skies of Tempe, two Sun Devils were met with preseason recognition.

The Maxwell Football Club announced Monday morning that senior quarterback Manny Wilkins and junior wide receiver N’Keal Harry were two of its candidates for the 2018 Maxwell Award, the honor presented annually for the best player in college football.

The announcement marks the first time since 2015 that two Sun Devils were listed on the preseason watch list. Quarterback Mike Bercovici and wide receiver D.J. Foster qualified for the list that season.

Recently graduated running back Kalen Ballage was the sole ASU player to qualify for the list in 2017. Ballage was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Wilkins was named the starting quarterback last season over Alabama transfer Blake Barnett prior to putting forth his best season in a Sun Devil uniform. He threw for 3,270 passing yards to go along with 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while completing 63.4 percent of his passes en route to a Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection.

Wilkins’ No. 1 target, Harry, continued a promising end to his 2016 season with a breakout sophomore year in 2017. Harry paired 8 touchdowns with 1,142 receiving yards while earning Pac-12 First Team Offense honors for the first time in his collegiate career.

Once ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2016 by rivals.com, Harry has gained heavy steam as a prospect in next year’s NFL Draft, including being taken No. 25 overall in ESPN analyst Todd McShay’s way-too-early 2019 NFL mock draft.

Harry is also ranked as the No. 2 wide receiver in the class of 2020 by draftscout.com.

Next: ASU Football: Who’s the toughest opponents on the schedule?

The Sun Devils are only 47 days away from their home opener against the University of Texas at San Antonio, where former NFL coach and analyst Herm Edwards will take the reins for the first time at ASU.