From K-State Athletics
Kansas State senior running back James Gilbert was one of 80 players in the nation – including 10 from the Big 12 – to be named to the watch list for the 2019 Maxwell Award as the college player of the year, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.
Gilbert, a graduate transfer from Ball State, is a preseason candidate for the award for a third-straight season. He is the eighth Wildcat to be named a candidate for the award and the second-straight running back after Alex Barnes landed on the watch list prior to the 2018 campaign.
A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Gilbert transferred to K-State after playing parts of four seasons at Ball State, including three games in 2017 when he earned a medical hardship. He totaled 2,806 career rushing yards to rank seventh in Ball State history, while he had 30 rushing touchdowns to tie for fifth.
Gilbert broke out as a sophomore in 2016, as he led the Mid-American Conference with 12 rushing touchdowns in addition to piling up 1,332 rushing yards to rank fourth in Cardinal history. Gilbert also earned First Team All-MAC honors that season.
