Tag: Chuck Bednarik Award

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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Joey Porter Jr. receives national weekly honor after Week 1

Joey Porter Jr. received a national weekly honor for his performance against Purdue in Week 1.

Penn State cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] had an active season debut against Purdue, and he is being recognized for his performance against the Boilermakers. Porter Jr. was named the National Player of the Week by the Bednarik Award on Tuesday.

Porter Jr. had eight tackles, recovered a fumble, and broke up six passes during Penn State’s Week 1 win at Purdue. He also came close to hauling in his first interception of the year and returning it for a touchdown, but he couldn’t quite finish making the play.

Penn State is home to the most Bednarik Award winners in the history of the award. [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] is a two-time winner. Other Nittany Lions to win the award include [autotag]Dan Connor[/autotag] and [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag].

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.

Porter Jr. and Penn State safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] are the two Nittany Lions on the watch list for this year’s Bednarik Award.

Penn State quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] was named the Big Ten’s co-offensive player of the week.

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Bednarik Award watch list includes key pair of Nittany Lions

Penn State has more Chuck Bednarik Awards than any other school. Will either of these two players add another to the list?

As Penn State opened training camp to prepare for the 2022 college football season, a handful of players were recognized on watch lists for some individual honors in 2022. The Maxwell Football Club unveiled its watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, and two players from Penn State appeared on the watch list.

Senior safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and redshirt junior cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] were recognized on the Bednarik Award watch list.

[autotag]Dan Connor[/autotag] 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. [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] 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.

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In addition to Posluszny and Connor, Penn State also saw [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag] 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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This Gator named to Chuck Bednarik Award watch list

Florida Gators OLB Brenton Cox Jr. was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch list and is looking to become the first Florida Gator to win.

Veteran outside linebacker and holder of the coveted No. 1 jersey [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. The Chuck Bednarik Award is awarded by the Maxwell Club each year to the nation’s defensive player of the year.

Cox Jr. has grabbed the national attention of multiple preseason watch lists and media outlets, including the All-SEC second team from Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and the scrum at SEC media days. Cox Jr. is the seventh different Florida player to be named to a preseason award watch list: [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] (Maxwell), [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] (Butkus), [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] (Rimington), [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] (Outland), [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] (Outland), and [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] (Doak Walker & Wuerffel).

Cox Jr. is looking to become the first player in Florida football history to win the Chuck Bednarik award. Nine Gators players have been named semifinalists for the award with [autotag]Jevon Kearse[/autotag] (1998) and [autotag]Brandon Spikes[/autotag] (2009) the only finalists in program history.

Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 1, with the three finalists to be announced on November 22. The winner will be announced on the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be held on December 8.

The Florida Gators will open the 2022 season on Saturday, September 3, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against Utah at 7:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

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Three Tigers add Bednarik Watch List selections

The Maxwell Football Club announced today that defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson have all been named among the 90 members on the 2022 watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually …

The Maxwell Football Club announced today that defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson have all been named among the 90 members on the 2022 watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player. 

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik who was an All American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full time player on both offense and defense.

The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) who is the lone returning finalist from 2021, as the majority of this year’s candidate group features fresh faces. The full list consists of 90 players with Alabama, Clemson and Georgia having 3 candidates each and an additional 9 schools having two players represented.

Last year’s Chuck Bednarik Award winner was Jordan Davis (Georgia) who went on to be the 1st round selection of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft. Davis joins Georgia great David Pollack (2004) as the Dawgs second Bednarik Award recipient.

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF), XOS and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine. XOS provides the Maxwell Club selection committee with access to game footage from all FBS colleges.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 1, 2022, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled November 22, 2022. The winners of the 28th Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 8, 2022. The formal presentations of the award will be made at the 86th Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala live from Atlantic City, NJ on March 10, 2023.

Questions concerning the 2022 Bednarik Award watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.

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, Ivy Rehab, SAFR, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.

ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS – PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game.

The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.

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Maxwell Football Club names pair of Nittany Lions to watch lists

Penn State’s top two players were named to a pair of top college football award watch lists by the Maxwell Football Club.

Watch list season stepped into full swing on Monday with the release of watch lists for two of the top individual awards in college football. The Maxwell Football Club released its watch lists for the Maxwell Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award, and a pair of Penn State players made the initial cut.

Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson was among those named to the Maxwell Award watch list. The Maxwell Award is awarded to the nation’s top college football player by the Maxwell Football Club.

Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker was included among those named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. The Bednarik Award is awarded to the nation’s top defensive player in college football.

Penn State has a storied history of Maxwell Award winners. Penn State is tied with Notre Dame for the most all-time Maxwell Award winners. Former Penn State running back Larry Johnson is the most recent recipient of the award from Penn State in 2002. Other former Penn State Maxwell Award winners include Kerry Collins (1994), Chuck Fusina (1978), John Cappelletti (1973), Mike Reid (1969), Glenn Ressler (1964), and Richie Liucas (1959).

Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the Maxwell Award for the 2020 season.

Penn State has also seen a handful of Bednarik Award winners since first being awarded in 1995. Former linebacker LaVar Arrington was the first Bednarik Award winner from Happy Valley in 1999. Paul Posluszny won the award in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006. He remains one of two back-to-back winners of the award, joining current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald won the award each of its first two seasons of being awarded in 1995 and 1996). Dan Connor won the award in 2007 to make it three consecutive years for a Penn State player winning the Bednarik Award. No school has matched that feat.

Tulsa’s Zaven Collins won the Bednarik Award for the 2020 season.

Dotson and Brisker will get their first chances to make some noteworthy highlights on September 4 when Penn State opens the 2021 season at Wisconsin in a Big Ten opener.