Thorne and Reed were named to the Maxwell Award Watch List on Monday, an honor bestowed to the college football player of the year. Reed was instrumental to MSU's success last season, as he averaged 18 yards per play, and had 71% of his catches resulting in either a first down or touchdown.

Additionally, Thorne has been named to the Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List, which consists of 35 of the top returning college quarterbacks.

This award is given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation and is the oldest and most prestigious award a quarterback can receive at the college level. It is voted upon by the national selection committee, as well as by fans on social media.

The Midseason Watch List will be released on Oct. 25, when voting will begin. The field will be narrowed down to the final 16 candidates on Nov. 8, and then dwindled down to three finalists who will be announced on Nov. 21. The final award recipient will be revealed live on ESPN on Dec. 8 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards.

Last season, Thorne led the team to an 11-2 record, including a 31-21 victory over Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in which he threw for a record 354 yards. He also set a new school record with 27 touchdown passes in a single season and averaged 248.7 passing yards per game.

Also receiving preseason honors is Broussard, who transferred from Colorado. He has been named to the Doak Walker Award, which is presented to the nation’s best running back. This is an award MSU is no stranger to, as star running back Kenneth Walker III became the first Spartan to win it last season.

Broussard received honorable mention All-PAC-12 honors during the 2021 season and led the team in rushing with 661 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. In just two seasons with Colorado, he finished 31st on their all-time rushing list with a total of 1,474 career yards.