Award goes to the most outstanding defensive player in college football

LARAMIE, Wyo. (August 12, 2024) – The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 30th season.^th The Chuck Bednarik Award is given each year to the most outstanding defensive player in college football. Wyoming defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole was named to the list. He was also named as a candidate for the Outland Trophy.

Bertagnole was named to the All-Mountain West team this preseason and was on the Shrine Bowl Preseason Watchlist.

Bertagnole started all 13 games and was named to the All-Mountain West Conference second team. Phil Steele also named him to the All-MW first team. He was fifth on the team with 60 tackles. Bertagnole also recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, a team-best effort. Bertagnole forced one fumble, had six quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups.

He recorded multiple tackles in every game but one. Bertagnole recorded nine tackles at UNLV, a season-high, and added eight and seven tackles against Appalachian State and Portland State, respectively. He recorded back-to-back games with two tackles for loss against Hawaii and at Nevada.

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 Bednarik Award nominee list will once again include a wide range 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 with 3 nominees each and another 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 independent nominees.

Last year’s winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award was Payton Wilson Jr. (NC State), who later went on to become the 3rd…^rd Round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Wilson was the first NC State player to win the Bednarik Award.