Penn State football running back James Peoples and receiver Chase Sowell were both named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list, the award announced Wednesday morning.

Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List @James_peoples17 | @SowellChase pic.twitter.com/Mz9NxG96V7

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 26, 2026

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award is named after NFL Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, who graduated from John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas. After winning the Heisman at Texas, Campbell would go on to lead the NFL in rushing three times and win MVP in 1979.

The award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity.

Candidates must have played at and graduated from a Texas High School and/or currently be playing at a Texas Division I four-year college to be eligible for the award.

Peoples hails from San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from Veterans Memorial High School.

This is Peoples’ second award watch list he’s been named to during the preseason, after he was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list in mid-August.

Sowell comes from Hunter, Texas, and graduated from Atascocita High School. In his lone season with the Cyclones, Sowell hauled in a program-leading 32 catches for 500 yards and two touchdowns.

The watch list will be narrowed to a maximum of 16 semifinalists in November and up to five finalists in December. The recipient will be announced in December and honored at the gala announcement banquet in Tyler, Texas, on January 27, 2027.