ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Navy senior quarterback Blake Horvath has been named to the 89th Maxwell Award Watch List, announced today by the Maxwell Football Club.  The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
 
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year every year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
 
The Maxwell Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by 2 returning semifinalists, Cade Klubnik of Clemson and Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt.
 
Horvath finished the 2024 season with 1,246 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on just 175 carries and completed 80 of his 139 pass attempts for 1,353 yards with 13 TDs and four interceptions. His 1,353 passing yards are the 10th most in school history.
 
Horvath was the third quarterback in school history to rush and pass for more than 1,200 yards in the same season in 2024, joining Keenan Reynolds in 2015 (1,203 passing, 1,373 rushing) and Chris McCoy in 1997 (1,203 passing, 1,370 rushing). His 2,599 yards of total offense in 2024 are the second most in school history, while his 8.3 yards of total offense per play tied with Shun White for the second most for a single season in school history.  Horvath's 7.9 yards per play over his career is the second-best mark in school history. 
 
In 2024, Horvath was the first Navy player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2019 when Malcolm Perry rushed for 2,017 yards and his 1,353 passing yards are the most for a Navy player since Will Worth threw for 1,397 yards in 2016. 
 
Horvath's 7.1 yards per carry in 2024 tied Reggie Campbell (2006) for the fifth-best single-season yards per carry average in program history and ranked third nationally.
 
Horvath's 95-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl was the third-longest run in the FBS in 2024.  Horvath and Malcolm Perry (2016-19) are the only two Navy football players to have two runs of 90-yards or more in a career (they both did it in a single-season).
 
Horvath was the first Navy quarterback since Keenan Reynolds to throw a touchdown pass in four-consecutive games (streak ended at Air Force, had a touchdown pass called back due to a penalty) and his 164.4 passing efficiency in 2024 is the fourth-best mark in school history.  Horvath has thrown just four interceptions in 151-career attempts for an interception percentage of .026 per attempt, the second-best average in school history.
 
He is averaging 16.7 yards per completion in his career (86 completions for 1,437 yards), which is the fourth-best average in school history. Horvath ranked sixth in the FBS in ESPN's QBR Rating (83.4) in 2024 and finished as the No. 9 graded runner (all positions, min. 150 att.) according to Pro Football Focus.
 
Horvath was the first player with seventh passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns through the team's first 4 games since Lamar Jackson in 2016.
 
UTSA quarterback Owen McCown and FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp join Horvath on the list from the American Conference.
 
Navy has had four different players win the Maxwell Award in school history, but none since 1963: Ron Beagle (1954), Bob Reifsnyder (1957), Joe Bellino (1960) and Roger Staubach (1963).
 
Ashton Jeanty from Boise State University was the 2024 Maxwell Award winner and was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 1st round of the NFL draft.
 
Navy will kick off the 2025 season on August 30 at 12 noon vs. VMI.  Single-game and season tickets are still available at: https://navysports.evenue.net/list/F
or by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY.