Watchlist season continued Monday with the release of the 2014 Chuck Bednarik Award watch list by the Maxwell Football Club. A total of 76 players were named to the watch list.
The Chuck Bednarik Award is awarded to the nation’s top defensive player as determined by the Maxwell Football Club. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was named the Bednarik Award winner each of the first two years the award was presented (1995 and 1996), and Penn State has had four Bednarik Award winners, the most of any school. Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the 2013 Bednarik Award winner.
This year’s watch list includes three of last year’s semifinalists, Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley, Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and USC defensive end Leonard Williams. Georgia has three linebackers on the watch list and Stanford continues to gain respect on defense with four players named to the watch list.
Here is the 2014 Bednarik Award watch list:
DE Henry Anderson, Stanford
LB Stephone Anthony, Clemson
DE Vic Beasley, Clemson
DT Michael Bennett, Ohio State
DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State
LB Kelby Brown, Duke
DT Malcom Brown, Texas
DE Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
CB Alex Carter, Stanford
S Sam Carter, TCU
S Jeremy Cash, Duke
DE Frank Clark, Michigan
S Landon Collins, Alabama
DT Christian Covington, Rice
S Su’a Cravens, USC
DT Carl Davis, Iowa
LB Trey DePriest, Alabama
CB Quandre Diggs, Texas
CB Lorenzo Doss, Tulane
S Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State
DE Alvin Dupree, Kentucky
DE Mario Edwards, Florida State
CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
LB Kyler Fackrell, Utah State
DE Devonte Fields, TCU
DE Try Flowers, Arkansas
LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia
DE Dante Fowler, Florida
CB Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
DE Markus Golden, Missouri
DE Randy Gregory, Nebrska
LB Bryce Hager, Baylor
CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida
DE Eli Harold, Virginia
S Anthony Harris, Virginia
LB Ben Heeney, Kansas
DT Chucky Hunter, TCU
DE Martin Ifedl, Memphis
LB Myles Jack, UCLA
DT Grady Jarrett, Clemson
LB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
LB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
S Karl Joseph, West Virginia
LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA
LB Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
CB Jordan Lucas, Penn State
DT Luther Maddy, Virginia Tech
LB Tyler Matakevich, Temple
LB Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
DE Ryan Mueller, Kansas State
DE Shawn Oakman, Baylor
DE Norkeithus Otis, North Carolina
LB Denzel Perryman, Miami
LB Terrance Plummer, UCF
S Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss
LB Hayes Pullard, USC
DE Cedric Reed, Texas
S Jordan Richards, Stanford
DE A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama
DT James Rouse, Marshall
CB KeiVarae Russell, Notre Dame
LB Jake Ryan, Michigan
LB Frank Shannon, Oklahoma
DT Danny Shelton, Washington
S Derron Smith, Fresno State
LB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
LB Eric Striker, Oklahoma
DE Charles Tapper, Oklahoma
LB A.J. Tarpley, Stanford
S Robenseon Therezie, Auburn
LB Shaq Thompson, Washington
CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State
DE Leonard Williams, USC
CB P.J. Williams, Florida State
LB Ramik Wilson, Georgia
Earlier today the Paul Hornung Award watch list was released. The Maxwell Award watch list was released alongside the Bednarik Award watch list as well.