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Rakeem Boyd has been named to the Maxwell Award watch list, it was announced Friday.
The Arkansas running back is one of 90 total players and 13 SEC players on the list. Presented annually since 1937, the Maxwell Award goes to the best overall player in college football regardless of position.
Boyd is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns on 184 carries. His rushing total ranked sixth in the SEC last season, but his 94.4 yards per game ranked fourth in the conference.
If he duplicates his yards from last season in 2020, Boyd will become just the sixth player in UA history with 3,000 career yards. His career 6.1-yard average currently ranks second in school history, behind only Matt Jones and Felix Jones.
After considering skipping his senior season and entering the NFL Draft early, Boyd opted to return to Arkansas for the 2020 season under new head coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.
Pittman has said multiple times that they believe the extra year will boost his draft stock if he can show improvement as a pass catcher and in pass protection.
Boyd was also one of 76 running backs named to the Doak Walker Award watch list last week. He is one of three Razorbacks who've landed on a watch list this preseason, with the others being kicker A.J. Reed (Lou Groza Award) and wide receiver Treylon Burks (Paul Hornung Award).