InTheEYE… pre-season watch lists

Miami is going into the 2025 football season with high expectations. Preseason media watch lists are also focused on the Canes.

Carson Beck:

Miami quarterback Carson Beck was among those players selected to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the 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.

Before arriving in Coral Gables, Beck spent the first five seasons of career (2020-2024) at Georgia, where he delivered a brilliant career with Bulldogs. Beck led Georgia to a 24-3 record in 27 games as the program’s starting quarterback, throwing for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns over the course of his career.

Anez Cooper and Francis Mauigoa:

Miami offensive linemen Anez Cooper and Francis Mauigoa have been named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Outland Trophy recognizing the top interior lineman in college football, the Football Writers Association (FWAA) announced Tuesday.

Cooper, a 6-foot-6, 345-pound senior, started all 13 games at right guard in 2024 and helped anchor a front that powered Miami to the No. 1 offense in the country in both scoring (43.9 points per game) and total yardage (537.2 yards per game). He earned All-ACC honorable mention recognition and helped guide the unit to a midseason spot on the Joe Moore Award Honor Roll.

Mauigoa, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound junior, also started every game last season at right tackle and was named to the All-ACC Second Team. Mauigoa, who was a Freshman All-America selection in 2023, played a pivotal role in seven 500-yard team performances last season – only the eighth time an FBS team has compiled 10-or-more such games in a regular season in the last decade.

Rueben Bain:

Miami junior defensive lineman Rueben  Bain, Jr. has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club to the top defensive player in college football.

Coming off a sophomore season in which he recorded 23 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks despite missing nearly four full games due to injury, Bain, Jr., earned All‑ACC honorable mention honors.

GO CANES!

-UM Athletics contributed to this article -