COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four Mountain West football players are among 90 student-athletes on the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Award nominees, the Maxwell Football Club announced today. The award honors the most outstanding defensive player in college football.
Defensive player from Boise State Ahmed HassaneinUNLV Linebacker MichaelJacksonSafety in the State of Utah Ike Larsen and Wyoming Defensive Tackle Jordan Bertagnole represent the Mountain West on the first watch list.
The four MW players on the watch list are ranked fifth in the FBS, with only the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 being better.
The Bednarik Award has been given to the college defensive player of the year since 1994 and is named after Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik, who was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and later an All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles for several years. He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to play both offense and defense full-time.
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as our selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based ratings to the selection committee staff, and several senior PFF analysts serve on our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is widely considered the most comprehensive preseason magazine.
The semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced on November 12, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be revealed on November 26. The winners of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12. The official presentation of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be held at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List (MW Representative)
Ahmed Hassanein, Sr., DE, Boise State
Jackson Woodard, Sr., LB, UNLV
Ike Larsen, S, Jr., Utah State
Jordan Bertagnole, Gr., DT, Wyoming
