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Maxwell Hairston receives national award following incredible game at Vanderbilt
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Maxwell Hairston, a Kentucky cornerback, won the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt.
Hairston returned 2 interceptions for TDs, which tied an SEC record, in the Wildcats’ 45-28 victory over the Commodores on Saturday. He delivered the first pick-6 in the first quarter on a 29-yard return for a 14-0 lead. His second came in the fourth quarter on a 54-yard return for a 45-21 advantage.
Besides the pick-6 pair, Hairston tallied 4 tackles and 3 pass breakups. He has 23 tackles, a forced fumble, 3 pass deflections, and 3 interceptions this season.
His big game arrived at a fitting time since his last outing against Vanderbilt went quite the opposite. Hairston gave up a game-winning TD in a 24-21 loss to the Commodores in 2022.
A 3-star prospect out of West Bloomfield, Michigan, Hairston has been a regular in the defensive backfield for the Wildcats since 2022. Hairston redshirted in 2021, and he played in 12 games last season but only tallied a couple of tackles.
Known as “Mad Max”, Hairston will need more games like Saturday’s to become a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy at the end of the season, which goes to the national defensive player of the year. The Football Writers Association of America chose Hairston for the weekly award.
