Duke linebacker Tre Freeman included on preseason Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List

After leading the Blue Devils with 106 total tackles last season, Duke’s Tre Freeman made the preseason Chuck Bednarik Award watch list.

Duke linebacker Tre Freeman led the Blue Devils defense last season, and now he’s getting national recognition for his efforts.

The Maxwell Football Club revealed its preseason watch list for the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Award on Monday, and Freeman is among the names to watch.

Freeman finished the 2023 season with 106 total tackles, including five tackles for loss. He racked up at least 10 tackles in five different games, including a season-high 15 against NC State and 14 against North Carolina. He also grabbed an interception against the Wolfpack, the first of his career, and finished the year on the All-ACC Second Team.

A Durham native, Freeman now enters his redshirt junior season. The single-season program record of 188 tackles might be a bit lucrative for the modern game, but the Blue Devil could touch some recent marks in the program record books. No Duke defensive player has finished with more than 134 tackles since 2010, and no Blue Devil has finished with more than 145 tackles this century.