News/Commentary

2024 Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List

August 12, 2024 by CollegeFootballPoll.com staff and Maxwell Football Club

2024 Bednarik Presason Watch List

The Maxwell Football Club today today announced its watch list for the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.

CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a voting member of the Bednarik Award.

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 4 returning 2023 semifinalists: Malaki Starks (Georgia) , Ashton Gillotte (Louisville), Howard Cross III (Notre Dame) and Jason Henderson (Old Dominion). Georgia, Iowa, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State lead the way with 3 candidates each and an additional 13 schools boast 2 players represented. 6 conferences are represented, SEC (21), ACC (19), Big10 (19), Big12 (13), AAC (4), MAC (4), Mountain West (4) and Sunbelt (3). There are also 3 Independents who have candidates listed.

Last year’s Chuck Bednarik Award winner was Payton Wilson Jr. (NC State) who went on to be the 3rd round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Wilson was the first NC State player to win the Bednarik Award.

See the complete list of major 2023 award winners.

Candidates are listed below in alphabetical order by school.

First Name Last Name School Class Position
CJ Nunnally, IV Akron Senior DE
Deontae Lawson Alabama Junior LB
Malachi Moore Alabama Senior S
Tacario Davis Arizona Junior CB
Landon Jackson Arkansas Senior DE
Eugene Asante Auburn Senior LB
Ahmed Hassanein Boise State Senior DE
Jordan Oladokun Bowling Green Senior CB
Tyler Batty BYU Senior DE
Dontay Corleone Cincinnati Junior DT
Peter Woods Clemson Sophomore DT
Barrett Carter Clemson Senior LB
B.J. Green Colorado Senior ED
Travis Hunter Colorado Junior CB
Tre Freeman Duke Junior LB
Shavon Revel East Carolina Senior CB
Shemar James Florida Junior LB
Patrick Payton Florida State Junior DE
Joshua Farmer Florida State Junior DT
Mykel Williams Georgia Junior DE
Smael Mondon Georgia Senior LB
Malaki Starks Georgia Junior S
Sebastian Castro Iowa Senior DB
Jay Higgins Iowa Senior LB
Nick Jackson Iowa Senior LB
Jeremiah Cooper Iowa State Junior S
Cobee Bryant Kansas Senior CB
Austin Moore Kansas State Senior LB
Maxwell Hairston Kentucky Junior CB
Deone Walker Kentucky Junior DT
Quincy Riley Louisville Senior CB
Ashton Gillotte Louisville Senior DE
Harold Perkins LSU Junior LB
Chandler Martin Memphis Junior LB
Rueben Bain, Jr. Miami Sophomore DE
Francisco Mauigoa Miami Senior LB
Matt Salopek Miami (OH) Senior LB
Will Johnson Michigan Junior CB
Mason Graham Michigan Junior DT
Kenneth Grant Michigan Junior DT
Cody Lindenberg Minnesota Senior LB
Johnny Walker Jr. Missouri Senior ED
Colin Ramos Navy Senior LB
Davin Vann NC State Senior DE
Nash Hutmacher Nebraska Senior DT
Kaimon Rucker North Carolina Senior ED
Power Echols North Carolina Senior LB
Xander Mueller Northwestern Senior LB
Benjamin Morrison Notre Dame Junior CB
Howard Cross III Notre Dame Senior DT
Xavier Watts Notre Dame Senior S
Denzel Burke Ohio State Senior CB
Jack Sawyer Ohio State Senior DE
Caleb Downs Ohio State Sophomore S
Danny Stutsman Oklahoma Senior LB
Billy Bowman Jr. Oklahoma Senior S
Nick Martin Oklahoma State Junior LB
Collin Oliver Oklahoma State Senior LB
Jason Henderson Old Dominion Senior LB
Princely Umanmielen Ole Miss Senior ED
Jabbar Muhammad Oregon Junior CB
Abdul Carter Penn State Junior DE
Kevin Winston Jr. Penn State Junior S
Donovan McMillon Pitt Senior S
Dillon Thieneman Purdue Sophomore S
Elijah Roberts SMU Senior DE
Jaden Voisin South Alabama Senior S
Tonka Hemingway South Carolina Senior DT
Marlowe Wax Syracuse Senior LB
Namdi Obiazor TCU Senior LB
James Pearce Jr. Tennessee Junior ED
Jahdae Barron Texas Senior DB
Nic Scourton Texas A&M Junior DE
Shemar Turner Texas A&M Senior DT
Ben Bell Texas State Senior DE
Maxen Hook Toledo Senior S
Patrick Jenkins Tulane Senior DT
Lee Hunter UCF Junior DT
Jackson Woodard UNLV Senior LB
Bear Alexander USC Junior DT
Junior Tafuna Utah Senior DT
Ike Larsen Utah State Junior S
CJ Taylor Vanderbilt Senior LB
Jonas Sanker Virginia Senior S
Antwaun Powell-Ryland Virginia Tech Senior DE
Aeneas Peebles Virginia Tech Senior DT
Jasheen Davis Wake Forest Senior DE
Ricardo Hallman Wisconsin Junior CB
Hunter Wohler Wisconsin Senior S
Jordan Bertagnole Wyoming Senior DT

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with 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.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winners of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

About the Maxwell Football Club 

Founded in 1935, it 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, the NFL Foundation, Montage Mountain Resort, College Football Dawgs, Bradford White, DCH Health System, Limitless NIL, SRA Inc, the ETC Foundation and the Bradly Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.

About Pro Football Focus (PFF)

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. 

About National College Football Awards Association

Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

See the 2023 ESPN Home Depot Awards Show.