Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi (21) leaves Rice safety Gabriel Taylor (26) behind during the first half of the First Responder Bowl NCAA college football game Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The 2023-2024 season for Texas State University running back Ismail Mahdi was remarkable, to say the least. Talling up 2,169 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns on the way to being named to six different All-American teams.
Mahdi’s upcoming second season with the Bobcats is already getting the attention of national watch lists.
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Not only was Mahdi named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list, which is given yearly to the most versatile player in college football, but he was also on the Maxwell Award watch list and the preseason first team for the Sun Belt Conference.
Nick Mantas is an award-winning sports reporter who joined the KPRC 2 Sports Team in September of 2025, coming from channel 2's sister station, KSAT in San Antonio. Before reporting on the San Antonio Spurs for two years, he spent three years in Lansing, Michigan, and one year in Abilene, Texas. He's Greek & a native of Brookline, Massachusetts.