It’s that time of year again as a new college football season approaches, as watch lists are beginning to be released.
The college football season almost here, which means watch lists are here. So far, the Bednarik Award, the Mackey Award, Maxwell Award and Rimington Trophy watch lists have been released.
Related: 5 most likely Mackey Award winners
Related: 5 most likely Maxwell Award winners
The Bednarik Award is an annual award for the defensive player of the year in college football. The award is named after Chuck Bednarik, a former college player from the University of Pennsylvania. Bednarik also went on to the play for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.
The award was introduced in 1995 and is voted on by members of the Maxwell Football Club. Last year’s winner was defensive end Jonathan Allen of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Allen became the first Alabama player to ever win the award in 2016.
This season’s preseason watch list is headlined by the Ohio State Buckeyes defense. The Buckeyes lead the way with four players on this year’s list, including defensive end Nick Bosa. Bosa is one of six sophomores on the watch list.
The college football season has a lot of promise on the defensive side of the ball. Here’s a look at five potential winners of the Bednarik Award.