Three Tigers Placed on Bednarik Award Watch List

The Maxwell Football Club announced today that defensive end T.J. Parker, cornerback Avieon Terrell and defensive tackle Peter Woods have been named as three of 90 candidates on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the national defensive player of the year. Additional information from the Maxwell Football Club is included below.

Visit the 2025 Preseason Honors hub for more preseason accolades garnered by Clemson.

The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 31st Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football. The Bednarik Award has been given to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. It is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker and center who played his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Known as one of the last “60-minute men” for playing both offense and defense, Bednarik exemplified toughness, excellence, and leadership on the field—values that the award bearing his name seeks to recognize in today’s top defensive players.

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 one returning finalist: Caleb Downs-Ohio State, and two returning semifinalists: Mikail Kamara–Indiana, and Anthony Hill Jr.—Texas. The full list comprises 90 players, with Georgia leading the way with four candidates and an additional six schools having three players represented. The SEC boasts 23 candidates, followed by the Big10 (20), ACC (15), and Big12 (12).

Travis Hunter, from the University of Colorado, was the 2024 Bednarik Award winner and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1st round of the NFL draft.

Candidates are listed alphabetically by school.

DT Tim Keenan III, Alabama
LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama
S Xavion Alford, Arizona State
LB Xavian Sorey Jr., Arkansas
LB Andon Thomas, Army
DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
LB Isaiah Glasker, BYU
LB Keaton Thomas, Baylor
CB A’Marion McCoy, Boise State
ED Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State
LB Red Murdock, Buffalo
ED Kobe Stewart, Buffalo
LB Cade Uluave, Cal
DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
DE T.J. Parker, Clemson
CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
DT Peter Woods, Clemson
S Terry Moore, Duke
CB Chandler Rivers, Duke
ED Tyreak Sapp, Florida
DT Caleb Banks, Florida
DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
CB Al’zillion Hamilton, Fresno State
LB CJ Allen, Georgia
S KJ Bolden, Georgia
CB Daylen Everette, Georgia
DT Christen Miller, Georgia
LB Kyle Efford, Georgia Tech
OLB Gabe Jacas, Illinois
DB Xavier Scott, Illinois
LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana
DE Mikail Kamara, Indiana
CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
DT Aaron Graves, Iowa
DT Domonique Orange, Iowa State
CB Jontez Williams, Iowa State
S Jacob Thomas, James Madison
LB Austin Romaine, Kansas State
LB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
LB Whit Weeks, LSU
S Tyree Skipper, Louisiana
DE William Whitlow Jr., Memphis
DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
CB OJ Frederique Jr., Miami
LB Jaishawn Barham, Michigan
ED Derrick Moore, Michigan
S Koi Perich, Minnesota
S Isaac Smith, Mississippi State
LB Sean Brown, NC State
LB Caden Fordham, NC State
NG Landon Robinson, Navy
LB Mac Uihlein, Northwestern
LB Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame
CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
S DJ Walker, Ohio
S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
DE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
LB Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
LB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss
LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
OLB Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
DT Zane Durant, Penn State
CB A.J. Harris, Penn State
LB Rasheem Biles, Pitt
LB Kyle Louis, Pitt
S Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU
ED Trey White, San Diego State
LB Jordan Pollard, San Jose State
ED Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
CB Josh Moten, Southern Miss
S Bud Clark, TCU
LB Arion Carter, Tennessee
CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
ED Colin Simmons, Texas
S Michael Taaffe, Texas
CB Will Lee III, Texas A&M
LB Taurean York, Texas A&M
ED David Bailey, Texas Tech
DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
CB Avery Smith, Toledo
DE Santana Hopper, Tulane
S Kamari Ramsey, USC
CB Smith Snowden, Utah
LB Bryan Longwell, Vanderbilt
CB Tacario Davis, Washington

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts being members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced November 11, 2025, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled November 25, 2025. The winner of the 31st Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 11, 2025. The formal presentations of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

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.

ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS – PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets, and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts, and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights into the game.

The Bednarik 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.

Sixteen NCFAA members unveiled preseason watch lists over two weeks as the association spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Below is a recap of the 2025 preseason watch list calendar:

Mon., July 28: Maxwell Award
Tue., July 29: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 30: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award/Butkus Award
Thu., July 31: Paul Hornung Award/Allstate Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., Aug. 1: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Mon., Aug. 4: Walter Camp Award
Tue., Aug. 5: Doak Walker Award
Wed., Aug. 6: Biletnikoff Award
Thu., Aug. 7: Davey O’Brien Award
Fri., Aug. 8: Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
Mon., Aug. 11: Bednarik Award

For more information about the NCFAA and its college football awards, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter @NCFAA.