Cameron Dickey enters 2026 on the Maxwell Award watch list after rushing for 1,124 yards and 14 TDs in a breakout year that fuels Texas Tech's offense all year.
Texas Tech football has another nationally recognized weapon entering 2026, and Cameron Dickey’s name is officially attached to one of college football’s biggest individual awards.
The Red Raiders’ junior running back was selected Monday for the Maxwell Award watch list, putting him among 81 players under consideration for national player of the year honors. It’s Dickey’s first preseason watch-list selection of the summer and another sign that his breakout sophomore campaign didn’t go unnoticed.
Dickey didn’t simply clear 1,000 rushing yards last season. He became the centerpiece of an offense that punished defenses on the ground.
The Texas Tech standout rushed for 1,124 yards and 14 touchdowns, becoming only the ninth player in program history to produce a 1,000-yard season.
His 16 total touchdowns and 14 rushing scores led the Big 12, while his rushing total ranked third in the conference. Both touchdown marks also placed him among the top 20 nationally.
That production helped Dickey earn second-team All-Big 12 recognition from the league’s coaches and reach the semifinal round for the Doak Walker Award.
He also extended an impressive run for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech has now produced a 1,000-yard rusher in three consecutive seasons, with Dickey following former teammate Tahj Brooks, who is now with the Cincinnati Bengals. The program had never previously reached that milestone three years in a row.
Dickey wasn’t carrying the entire rushing attack alone, either.
He and fellow junior J’Koby Williams powered Texas Tech to 2,560 rushing yards, its highest team total since joining the Big 12 in 1996. Both backs surpassed 1,300 all-purpose yards, making the Red Raiders one of only two teams nationally with multiple players to reach that number.
Texas Tech was the only program whose two players were both running backs.
That combination gives the Red Raiders something few opponents can match: two experienced backs capable of grinding out difficult yards, breaking explosive plays and contributing in the passing game and on special teams.
Dickey is one of 15 Big 12 players on the Maxwell Award watch list. Semifinalists will be revealed Nov. 10, followed by three finalists on Nov. 24. The winner will be announced Dec. 10 during the ESPN College Football Awards show.
Preseason lists don’t win games, but Dickey’s inclusion raises the spotlight. After becoming one of the Big 12’s most productive runners, he’ll enter 2026 as a marked man—and the engine of a Texas Tech offense with championship expectations.
