MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Maxwell Award Committee has announced linebacker
Josiah Trotter as this week's Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Week
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native made a significant impact in WVU's late 32-28 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in their Big 12 Conference opener. Trotter led the Mountaineer defense with 11 tackles, including six solo stops, showing his strong defensive skills. His efforts were instrumental in helping the team rally late to secure the win.
Trotter is tied for the team lead with 28 tackles, including a team-leading 14 solo stops. He also has assisted on a sack and has 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Trotter has produced two double-figure tackle performances in 2024, including finishing with 10 against Penn State. He is tied for No. 13 in the Big 12 in tackles per game.
The Maxwell Football Club and the Shaun Alexander Award have once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Questions concerning the 2024 Shaun Alexander Award Player of the Week can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership.
ABOUT THE SHAUN ALEXANDER FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD - The Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award is an honor given each year to the most outstanding freshman player in college football. Named after Shaun Alexander a former standout at the University of Alabama and 2005 NFL MVP with the Seattle Seahawks, this award recognizes the exceptional performance and impact made by these players on their respective teams throughout the season. The Alexander Award is all about championing future legends and evaluates players based on Talent, Character, Ambassador and Legend.
Past winners include; Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) - 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)-2019 and Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) – 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) – 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) 2022 and Caleb Downs (Alabama) 2023.
