Bednarik Award
Presented to the college defensive player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club
N.C. State's Payton Wilson: 2023 Bednarik Award winner
2024 Preseason Watch List
- DT Bear Alexander, USC
- LB Eugene Asante, Auburn
- DE Rueben Bain, Jr., Miami
- DB Jahdae Barron, Texas
- DE Tyler Batty, BYU
- DE Ben Bell, Texas State
- DT Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming
- S Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
- CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas
- CB Denzel Burke, Ohio State
- DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
- LB Barrett Carter, Clemson
- DB Sebastian Castro, Iowa
- S Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State
- DT Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- DT Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
- DE Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
- CB Tacario Davis, Arizona
- S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- LB Power Echols, North Carolina
- DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State
- LB Tre Freeman, Duke
- DE Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
- DT Mason Graham, Michigan
- DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
- ED B.J. Green, Colorado
- CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
- CB Ricardo Hallman, Wisconsin
- DE Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
- DT Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina
- LB Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
- LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
- S Maxen Hook, Toledo
- DT Lee Hunter, UCF
- CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
- DT Nash Hutmacher, Nebraska
- DE Landon Jackson, Arkansas
- LB Nick Jackson, Iowa
- LB Shemar James, Florida
- DT Patrick Jenkins, Tulane
- CB Will Johnson, Michigan
- S Ike Larsen, Utah State
- LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama
- LB Cody Lindenberg, Minnesota
- LB Chandler Martin, Memphis
- LB Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
- LB Francisco Mauigoa, Miami
- S Donovan McMillon, Pitt
- LB Smael Mondon, Georgia
- LB Austin Moore, Kansas State
- S Malachi Moore, Alabama
- CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
- LB Xander Mueller, Northwestern
- CB Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon
- DE CJ Nunnally, IV, Akron
- LB Namdi Obiazor, TCU
- CB Jordan Oladokun, Bowling Green
- LB Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
- DE Patrick Payton, Florida State
- ED James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
- DT Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech
- LB Harold Perkins, LSU
- DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
- LB Colin Ramos, Navy
- CB Shavon Revel, East Carolina
- CB Quincy Riley, Louisville
- DE Elijah Roberts, SMU
- ED Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
- LB Matt Salopek, Miami (Ohio)
- S Jonas Sanker, Virginia
- DE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
- DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
- S Malaki Starks, Georgia
- LB Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
- DT Junior Tafuna, Utah
- LB CJ Taylor, Vanderbilt
- S Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
- DT Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
- ED Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
- DE Davin Vann, NC State
- S Jaden Voisin, South Alabama
- DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
- ED Johnny Walker Jr., Missouri
- S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
- LB Marlowe Wax, Syracuse
- DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
- S Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
- S Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin
- LB Jackson Woodard, UNLV
- DT Peter Woods, Clemson
