7/19/2021 football Edit

Daniels, Lucas on Maxwell, Bednarik preseason watch lists

ASU QB Jayden Daniels is a three-year starter in Tempe

Hod Rabino • ASUDevils

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Longest tenured beat writer for Arizona State football and basketball, and a Website Publisher since 2001.

Kicking off the 2021 preseason award watch lists, the Sun Devils have seen two of their most prominent players this year receive recognition. Sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels was placed on the Maxwell Award Watch List given to the College Player of the Year, while senior cornerback Chase Lucas earned a spot on the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason list given to the top College Defensive Player of the Year.

In 16 games at Arizona State, including an abbreviated 2020 campaign, Daniels how thrown for 3,644 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. Additionally, he has supported the running game posting a two-season total of 578 net rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Not only does he return this year as one of the best signals callers in the Pac-12, but he has paced the nation since 2019 in yards per pass competition with 11+ yards to go at 18.9 yards/completion (680 yards on 36 completions). His passer rating with over 11+ yards to go since 2019 is 188.2, second only to Texas Tech's (and former Oregon QB) Tyler Shough (195.4).

CB Chase Lucas is a nearly unheard-of five-year starter

Due to the NCAA eligibility freeze rule, Lucas is one of the proverbial super seniors on the team and around the conference who will be a sixth-year player this season. As a redshirt freshman in 2017, Lucas was the only underclassman on the first-team All-Pac 12, and the cornerback saw his name called once again to that group despite a shortened 2020 season. This nearly unheard-of five-year starter is another Arizona State team member who is considered one of the top players in the league coming into this year.

Last season, Lucas allowed just one play over 15 yards, good for second-lowest in the league, yielded just five first downs, which marked the fourth-fewest in the league, and forced five incompletions, good for third in the league. Despite playing over 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps, he certainly earned the respect of opposing offenses as he was targeted just 22 times on the season, allowing just 14 catches. Furthermore, Lucas allowed just 109 yards in coverage, good for seventh-fewest in the Pac-12, while his 7.8 yards allowed per catch were third in the league.

Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on November 1, 2021, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled on November 22, 2021. The winners of the 2021 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 9, 2021. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 11, 2022.