The Maxwell Football Club has announced its watch list for the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award, setting the stage for the 2026 competition to recognize the outstanding defensive player in college football.
The preseason list includes candidates from Football Bowl Subdivision programs across the United States, with several major conferences and prominent programs carrying multiple nominees. Three players who reached the semifinals in 2025 return to the award race this season: Quincy Rhoades of Arkansas, Xavier Atkins of Auburn and Leonard Moore of Notre Dame.
Bednarik Award Continues College Football Tradition
The Chuck Bednarik Award has recognized the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994. It is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik, an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania who later became an accomplished linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also holds a distinctive place in professional football history as the last NFL player to serve full-time on both offense and defense.
The award bearing his name has developed into one of college football’s prominent individual honors for defensive players.
SEC Leads Conference Representation on 2026 Watch List
The 2026 watch list includes players representing 10 conferences, highlighting the broad geographic reach of the award.
The SEC leads all conferences with 24 candidates. The Big Ten follows with 19, while the Big 12 has 17 players represented and the ACC has 12.
Several programs also have significant representation. Alabama, BYU, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech each have three candidates on the watch list.
Returning semifinalists Rhoades, Atkins and Moore enter the season with previous recognition from the Bednarik Award selection process and will seek to advance further as the 2026 college football campaign develops.
Candidates on the full watch list are organized alphabetically by school, with their respective class years identified.
Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez Won Previous Bednarik Award
The previous Chuck Bednarik Award was won by Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, who became the first player from the university to receive the honor.
Rodriguez subsequently entered the NFL Draft and was selected by the Miami Dolphins, extending his career from a decorated college campaign into professional football.
His victory marked a milestone for Texas Tech, which returns to the current watch list with three candidates as the program seeks to maintain its presence among the nation’s leading defensive teams.
Phil Steele Publications Returns as Selection Committee Partner
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Phil Steele Publications as a selection committee partner.
Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is widely recognized for its extensive preseason coverage of college football programs, players and conferences.
The partnership will continue through the selection process as the initial watch list is narrowed to semifinalists and finalists before the 2026 winner is chosen.
Bednarik Award Semifinalists Set for November
The next major stage in the selection process is scheduled for November 10, 2026, when semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced.
The three finalists are scheduled to be unveiled on November 24, 2026.
The winner of the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10, 2026.
The formal presentation will take place during the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday, March 13, 2027, at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
With leading programs from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and other conferences represented, the 2026 watch list establishes an early field of defensive standouts to follow throughout the college football season. The competition will narrow significantly in November before one player ultimately receives one of the sport’s leading defensive honors.
