ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Navy senior quarterback
Braxton Woodson has been named to the Maxwell Award Watch List by the Maxwell Football Club.
The Maxwell Award has been presented annually to the outstanding player in college football since 1937.
It is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Navy has had four winners of the Maxwell, the last coming in 1963 when Roger Staubach earned the honor. Ron Beagle (1954), Bob Reifsnyder (1957) and Joe Bellino (1960) also won the Maxwell.
The Maxwell Award Watch List once again features a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by returning semifinalists Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) and Dante Moore (Oregon).
Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University was the 2025 Maxwell Award winner and was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft.
Woodson, who was selected by his teammates as a co-captain for the 2026 season, has played in 24 career games with three starts. He has rushed for 760 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing for 516 yards and three touchdowns.
Woodson takes over the offense after serving as the primary backup to
Blake Horvath during Navy's 11-2 campaign in 2025, helping the Midshipmen finish ranked No. 23 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Woodson played in 10 games last fall, including his third career start against Notre Dame. He finished the year with 414 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries, while completing 9 of 19 passes for 110 yards. He also caught a 10-yard pass from
Blake Horvath against Army.
The highlight of Woodson's 2025 season came when he came off the bench in relief of an injured Horvath against USF and carried the ball nine times for 103 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown runs covered 64 and 20 yards as Navy upset the Bulls.
Woodson rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against Notre Dame and rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries against VMI. He became the first FBS player to rush for 180 or more yards on seven or fewer carries since LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire accomplished the feat against Arkansas in 2019.
Navy Football FanFest will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Admission and parking are free.
Navy Football season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or online here:
https://navysports.evenue.net/list/NAVY. The Mids kick off the 2026 season at home on Sept. 5 vs. Towson at 3:30 p.m.
