All three Buckeyes QBs make Maxwell Award watch list

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How stacked is Ohio State's roster heading into this season?

Well, the watch list for the Maxwell Award — which annually honors college football's best player — came out Tuesday, and four Buckeyes made the list, including all three quarterbacks competing for the starting job.

That means five percent of the entire list wears scarlet and gray.

J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller all landed on the list, despite the fact that only one will end up Ohio State's starting quarterback this fall. There's no indicating which guy will win the gig, but all have pretty impressive credentials. Miller is a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Barrett was last year's fifth-place finisher in Heisman Trophy voting. Jones led the Buckeyes to three postseason wins en route to a national championship.

[MORE BIG TEN: Meyer says recovering Miller, Barrett just about at full strength]

Running back Ezekiel Elliott is on the list, too, and he might be the one who ends up with the best chance of winning this particular award. He's also the preseason Heisman favorite after he rushed for 696 yards and eight touchdowns in Ohio State's three postseason wins over Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon.

The Buckeye quartet, though, was hardly the only Big Ten representation on the list. Eight others landed a spot, including Northwestern running back Justin Jackson. As a freshman last season, Jackson rushed for 1,187 yards, which ranked seventh in a league loaded with top talent at the running-back position. Aside from the returning Elliott, the other five Big Ten backs with more yards than Jackson last season were all selected in the NFL Draft.

Also included on the list were Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo, Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton and Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld.

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