Tag: Chuck Bednarik Award

Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award

Chuck Bednarik Award for nation’s top defensive player names one Alabama player to semifinal list.

The Alabama Crimson Tide entered the 2024 season with College Football Playoff aspirations despite a change in the head coaching position. After two losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee in October, Alabama’s chances to make the first 12-team Playoff seemed about toast.

However, the Tide responded massively with a 34-0 shutout against No. 21 Missouri before steamrolling No. 15 LSU in Baton Rouge 42-13 this past weekend. Jalen Milroe and the offense got a lot of shine in the headlines for their work in those two games, but the defense was equally impressive.

Unfortunately, the victory over LSU wasn’t without consequences as edge rusher Que Robinson suffered a left arm injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the year. Now, Alabama will have to rely even more heavily on their star linebackers Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell.

Campbell has been phenomenal for Kane Wommack’s defense this year with 78 total tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. As a result, the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player, has named Campbell a semi-finalist.

If Campbell can finish out the year strong and bring the award back to Tuscaloosa, he would be the fourth Alabama player to do so alongside Jonathan Allen (2016), Minkah Fitzpatrick (2017) and Will Anderson (2022).

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Xavier Watts named as semifinalist for major award

Xavier Watts is one of 20 semifinalists for a major award.

Notre Dame safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.

Watts has been one of the best, if not the best, defensive players for the No. 8 Fighting Irish, and now he might get rewarded for it.

The Bednarik award, named after Chuck Bednarik, was founded in 1995 by the Maxwell Football Club and given to the best defensive player in college football.

Watts has 35 tackles — 22 solo — one forced fumble and three interceptions so far this season.

Other semifinalists include Iowa’s Jay Higgins, South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard, and Jahdae Barron and Anthony Hill Jr. from Texas. There are 20 semifinalists overall.

Xavier Watts could be headed for another national award this fall
Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) celebrates after an interception against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Eugene Asante named to Bednarik Award watch list

Asante earns the honor after recording 86 tackles with 8.5 for loss last season.

Auburn star linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] was named to the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday. The award, presented annually to college football’s most outstanding defensive player, has been won by an SEC defender in seven of the last 14 years. However, an Auburn Tiger has never claimed the honor.

Asante is coming off a breakout junior season at Auburn in which he accumulated a team-high 86 tackles with 5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and one fumble recovery touchdown. The 23-year-old registered double-digit tackles on 3 occasions in 2023, including 12-tackle performances against Cal and LSU.

A likely team captain this season, Asante has the chance to become the first Tiger to register 100+ tackles in a season since [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] wrapped up 113 opposing players in 2020. If Asante can pass that threshold while improving on his sack and TFL numbers, the Alexandria, Virginia native could make a strong case to become the first Tiger to ever claim the award.

The current watchlist of 90 players will be whittled down to a single-digit list of semifinalists on  Nov. 12, 2024. Three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled two weeks later, four days before the Iron Bowl, on Nov. 26, 2024.

Asante will have the first chance to make his case as the best defensive player in college football when the Tigers host Alabama A&M on August 31.

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Three Notre Dame players on the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list

This trio will lead the Irish defense this fall

The [autotag]Chuck Bednarik Award[/autotag] is given out annually to the top defensive player in college football, and Notre Dame defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] almost made it as a finalist last year.

As for the 2024 season, the award committee believes that three Irish players are worthy enough to take home the award as the season is set to start: Cross, cornerback [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag].

All three of them recently were named onto the USA TODAY preseason All-American teams, so this inclusion should not surprise anyone. It’s the latest preseason honor for the trio of Notre Dame players, as each of one them have been named to other watch lists as well.

Cross made multiple second-team All-American lists last year, while Morrison was a Thorpe Award semifinalist. Watts is the most decorated of the three, taking home the Bronko Nagurski Trophy while being a unanimous All-American.

The top three Irish defenders will once again be in the mix for a variety of national awards.

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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.

Triple-(Howard)Cross: Notre Dame’s defensive tackle get’s two more national awards

Thrice as nice for Cross this week

It was quite a weekend for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross[/autotag], as he terrorized the Duke offense on Saturday night.

The senior was dominant, racking up 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and two forced fumbles, which already earned him the Reese’s Senior Bowl defensive player of the week.

It didn’t end there for Cross, as on Tuesday we found out that two more outlets named him as their defensive player of the week.

The [autotag]Chuck Bednarik Award[/autotag] also named Cross their top defensive player from the past week making it two big time collegiate awards giving the Irish defense tackle some recognition.

It didn’t end there, however, as Cross was also named the [autotag]Walter Camp Award[/autotag] defensive player of the week.

It was a week that Cross won’t forget and hopefully the start of a huge finish to his Notre Dame football career.

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Harold Perkins on Chuck Bednarik Award watch list

Harold Perkins enters his sophomore year with sky-high expectations.

LSU linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] continues to rack up the preseason accolades.

Perkins has now been named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive player.

He had a breakout true freshman season in 2022, leading the Tigers in sacks and tackles for loss. He worked primarily as an edge rusher last fall but has spent much of the offseason working as an off-ball linebacker, where he’s likely to start this fall.

A former five-star recruit and top-five prospect, Perkins was the biggest recruiting win in Kelly’s transition class. He could be set to become one of the nation’s best players as a sophomore.

Perkins has also been named to the preseason watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Walter Camp Award and Lombardi Trophy.

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Joey Porter Jr. named semifinalist for Chuck Bednarik Award

Joey Porter Jr. among the semifinalists for the Bednarik Award

Penn State cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] started off the month of November by being recognized as a semifinalist for one of the top individual awards in college football for a defensive player. The Maxwell Football Club revealed its semifinalists for this year’s Chuck Bednarik Award on Tuesday, and Porter was among those making the semifinalist cut.

The Bednarik Award is presented annually to college football’s best defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club. It is named in honor of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik, who played his college football at Penn.

Porter is looking to do something that is rarely done with the Bednarik Award. Only four cornerbacks have won the Bednarik Award since it was first presented in 1995. The only other cornerbacks to win the award are Charles Woodson (1997, Michigan), Patrick Peterson (201-, LSU), Tyrann Mathieu (2011, LSU), and Minkah Fitzpatrick (2017, Alabama).

Dan Connor is the most recent Penn State player to take home the Bednarik Award. He did so in 2007 to make it three consecutive seasons a Penn State player won the award. Paul Posluszny won the award in 2005 and 2006 and is one of two all-time winners to win the award multiple times. Current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is the only other player to win multiple Bednarik Awards. He did so in 1995 and 1996, the first two seasons the award was presented.

In addition to Posluszny and Connor, Penn State also saw LaVar Arrington win the award in 1999 to boost Penn State’s total to four Bednarik Awards. No other school has more than two Bednarik Award winners (Northwestern, Georgia, LSU, and Alabama each have two Bednarik award winners).

Last year’s recipient of the Bednarik Award was Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis. The last Big Ten player to win the award was Chase Young of Ohio State in 2019.

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Davis named Bednarik Award semifinalist

Congrats to the Clemson defender who was named a semifinalist for the prestigious award on Tuesday.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

The Maxwell Football Club announced today that Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis has been named as one of 20 semifinalists for the 2022 Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to the nation’s outstanding defensive player of the year. More information from the Maxwell Football Club is included below.

Maxwell Football Club Executive Director, Mark Wolpert, announced the 2022 semifinalists for the 86th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and the 28th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The respective lists include a field of 20 candidates for the Maxwell and 20 candidates for the Bednarik Award as selected by the Maxwell Football Club National Selection Committee. The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed statistical and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts have been added to the selection committee and have participated in the process. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete football reference in the country.

A strong field of Maxwell Award semifinalists includes representatives from 6 conferences and 1 independent school, with the PAC-12 and SEC boasting 5 candidates each and the Big Ten notching 4 spots. Bryce Young (Alabama), CJ Stroud (Ohio State) and Bijan Robinson (Texas) join the list for the second consecutive year with the remaining candidates all being first-time semifinalists.

On the defensive side of the ball, the field of contenders is comprised of fresh faces, with Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) being the lone Bednarik Award semifinalist returnee. Seven different conferences are represented, led by seven student-athletes from the Big Ten and five from the SEC.

Last season, the Maxwell Award was presented to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and the Bednarik Award went to Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Davis was selected with the No.10 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and Young is completing his junior season for the Crimson Tide.

Semifinalist voting for both of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club will begin on Wednesday Nov. 2 and will close on Nov. 20. Three finalists for each award will be announced on Nov. 22 and a finalist round of voting will take place at that time. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media. All semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order by school with the player’s school, position and class designated.

The winners of the 86th Maxwell Award and the 28th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on December 8, 2022. The formal presentation of the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards will take place at the 86th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held in March 2023.  Questions regarding the Maxwell and Bednarik semifinalist lists can be directed to: Mark Wolpert – mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or Rich Cirminiello – rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.

Maxwell Award Semifinalists

First Name Last Name School Position Year
Bryce Young Alabama QB JR
Jahmyr Gibbs Alabama RB JR
Brock Bowers Georgia TE SO
Chase Brown Illinois RB JR
Blake Corum Michigan RB JR
Drake Maye North Carolina QB RS-FR
Michael Mayer Notre Dame TE JR
CJ Stroud Ohio State QB JR
Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State WR SO
Bo Nix Oregon QB SR
Israel Abanikanda Pittsburgh RB JR
Max Duggan TCU QB SR
Hendon Hooker Tennessee QB RS-SR
Jalin Hyatt Tennessee WR JR
Bijan Robinson Texas RB JR
DeWayne McBride UAB RB JR
Zach Charbonnet UCLA RB SR
Caleb Williams USC QB SO
Cam Rising Utah QB JR
Michael Penix Jr. Washington QB JR

 

Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalists

First Name Last Name School Position Year
Will Anderson Jr. Alabama LB JR
Kool-Aid McKinstry Alabama CB SO
Drew Sanders Arkansas LB JR
Ivan Pace Jr. Cincinnati LB SR
Tyler Davis Clemson DT SR
Christopher Smith Georgia S SR
Jer’Zhan Newton Illinois DT SO
Devon Witherspoon Illinois CB JR
Jack Campbell Iowa LB SR
Felix Anudike-Uzomah Kansas State DE JR
Mike Morris Michigan DE SR
Emmanuel Forbes Mississippi State CB JR
Tommy Eichenberg Ohio State LB SR
Jason Henderson Old Dominion LB SO
Joey Porter Jr. Penn State CB RS-JR
Calijah Kancey Pitt DT RS-JR
Tyree Wilson Texas Tech LB SR
Tuli Tuipulotu USC DT JR
Clark Phillips III Utah CB SO
John Torchio Wisconsin S SR

ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Montage Mountain Resort, Ivy Rehab, The Buccini Pollin Group, the Edward T. Coombs Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.

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Wisconsin Badgers S John Torchio named semifinalist for Bednarik Award

The Jewelry Thief makes the cut for the Chuck Bednarik Award:

Madison, Wis. – University of Wisconsin senior safety John Torchio has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2022 Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to college football’s defensive player of the year. The Maxwell Football Club made the announcement Tuesday. 

The winner of the Bednarik award will be announced on December 8 as part of the ESPN College Football Awards show. 

Torchio, a native of Lafayette, California, leads the nation in interceptions (5) and has also registered 41 tackles, five pass deflections, three pressures, one sack, and two touchdowns on the season. 

The Jewelry Theif, as nicknamed by his teammates, is currently the highest-graded player on the Wisconsin Badgers defense (87.1) and has the third-highest coverage grade in the country among safeties (90.1), according to Pro Football Focus. 

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