The Maxwell Football Club announced today that linebacker Sammy Brown and cornerback Ashton Hampton have been named as two of 90 players on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's most outstanding defensive player. Additional information from the Maxwell Football Club is included below.
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The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 32nd Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, led by 3 returning 2025 semifinalists: Quincy Rhoades (Arkansas) , Xavier Atkins (Auburn), and Leonard Moore (Notre Dame). Alabama, BYU, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech lead the way with 3 candidates each, and 10 conferences are represented, led by the SEC (24), Big10 (19), Big12 (17), and ACC (12).
Last year’s Chuck Bednarik Award winner was Jacob Rodriguez. (Texas Tech) who went on to be the 2rd round selection of the Miami Dolphins in the 2025 NFL Draft. Rodriguez was the first Texas Tech player to win the Bednarik Award.
Candidates are listed below in alphabetical order by school with class year noted.
LB Blake Fletcher, Air Force
S Bray Hubbard, Alabama
CB Zabien Brown, Alabama
LB Yhonzae Pierre , Alabama
LB Colton Phares, Appalachian State
LB Taye Brown, Arizona
DE Quincy Rhodes, Arkansas
LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn
LB Travion Barnes, Baylor
LB Isaiah Glasker, BYU
LB Cade Uluave, BYU
S Faletau Satuala, BYU
LB Jonathan Thompson, Cincinnati
LB Sammy Brown, Clemson
CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson
LB Gideon Lampron, Colorado
LB Gavin Moul, Delaware
LB Myles Graham, Florida
CB Ja'Bril Rawls, Florida State
LB Raylen Wilson, Georgia
CB Ellis Robinson, Georgia
S KJ Bolden, Georgia
DE MJ Stroud, Georgia Southern
CB Will James, Houston
DB Matthew Bailey, Illinois
NT Tyrique Tucker, Indiana
LB Rolijah Hardy, Indiana
LB Isaiah Jones, Indiana
S Zach Lutmer, Iowa
DE Isaac Terrell, Iowa State
S Caleb Nix, Jacksonville State
LB Trey Lathan, Kansas
DE Wendell Gregory, Kansas State
LB Kolbe Fields, Louisiana Tech
DE Clev Lubin, Louisville
DE Princewill Umanmielen, LSU
LB Whit Weeks, LSU
CB DJ Pickett, LSU
LB Daniel Wingate, Maryland
DB Ian Foster, Memphis
DT Ahmad Moten, Miami
DE Damon Wilson, Miami
DE John Henry Daley, Michigan
CB Jyaire Hill, Michigan
LB Jordan Hall, Michigan State
DE Anthony Smith, Minnesota
CB Kelley Jones, Mississippi State
DE Dylan LaBarbera, Nevada
LB Jaxton Eck, New Mexico
DE Melkart Abou Jaoude, North Carolina
DT Keenan Wilson, North Dakota State
S Robert Fitzgerald, Northwestern
DE Boubacar Traore, Notre Dame
CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
S Adon Shuler, Notre Dame
S DJ Walker, Ohio
DE Kenyatta Jackson, Ohio State
S Earl Little, Ohio State
DT David Stone, Oklahoma
LB Kip Lewis, Oklahoma
S Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma
NT Will Echoles, Ole Miss
LB Keaton Thomas, Ole Miss
DE Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
DT A'Mauri Washington, Oregon
CB Brandon Finney, Oregon
S Jeremiah Cooper, Penn State
LB Braylan Lovelace, Pittsburgh
DE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
LB Matt Rose, Stanford
S Jamel Johnson, TCU
LB Amare Campbell, Tennessee
CB Ty Redmond, Tennessee
DE Colin Simmons, Texas
LB Rasheem Biles, Texas
S Dalton Brooks, Texas A&M
DT A.J. Holmes, Texas Tech
LB Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
CB Brice Pollock, Texas Tech
DE Donnie Smith, Troy
S Jack Tchienchou, Tulane
CB Elijah Green, Tulsa
LB Lewis Carter, UCF
LB Noah Flemmings, ULM
CB Jontez Williams, USC
LB Johnathan Hall, Utah
S Brevin Hamblin, Utah State
LB Kam Robinson, Virginia
DT Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech
DE Langston Hardy, Wake Forest
LB Mason Posa, Wisconsin
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine in the game.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 10, 2026, while the three finalists for the will be unveiled 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 held on December 10, 2026. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
Questions concerning the 2026 Bednarik watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB
The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, NFL Foundation, College Sports Communicators, SRA Inc, Vertical Raise, Quinco Inc, the ETC Foundation and the Bradley Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
For more information about the NCFAA and its college football awards, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter @NCFAA.