PHILADELPHIA — UTSA senior running back Robert Henry Jr. has been added to the Maxwell Award Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Thursday.
Henry was one of 13 players who were unveiled as midseason watch list additions for the 89th Maxwell Award, which is presented to the college player of the year.
Also a member of watch lists for the Doak Walker and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards, Henry currently leads the FBS in rushing yards per game (156.0), all-purpose yards per game (180.0), rushing yards per carry (9.18), scrimmage plays of 70-plus yards (5) and rushes of 70-plus yards (4). Through the first four contests, he has piled up 624 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 68 attempts (9.2 ypc) to go with 96 yards and two scores on 11 receptions.
Henry is the only FBS player with four rushes of 70-plus yards and with five plays from scrimmage of 70-or-more yards this season. He tallied 177 yards and two scores against No. 19 Texas A&M, averaging 11.1 yards on 16 attempts in the opener. He followed that with 159 yards and two rushing touchdowns to go with a 4-yard receiving TD against Texas State and then gashed UIW for 144 yards and a pair of scores on only 14 totes, good for an average of 10.3 yards per carry. In the 17-16 win at Colorado State, he had 144 yards, including a 76-yard TD on the ground, and a key 74-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter for 220 all-purpose yards on the night.
A native of Lumberton, Mississippi, Henry reached uncharted territory with his second-half starts through the first three games, as he took one 75 yards to the house on the first play from scrimmage at Texas A&M and repeated that distance with a TD dash on the second play from scrimmage in the second half against Texas State. Not to be outdone, he sprinted 74 yards to paydirt on the third play of the second half in the 48-20 win over UIW. He is believed to be the only FBS player who has scored a touchdown within the first three plays from scrimmage of either half in every game this season.
During his three-year UTSA career, Henry has rushed for 1,918 yards, which places him fifth in school history, and 25 TDs (No. 3/UTSA) in 28 contests. His current 5.9 yards-per-rush average is the best in UTSA history. He currently is riding a streak of six straight 100-yard rushing outputs, a stretch that has seen him tally 970 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 13 total TDs and seven plays of 74-plus yards, including six runs.
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.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Nov. 11, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 25. The winner of the 89th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 11. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on March 13, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
The Maxwell Football Club has 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.
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