PHILADELPHIA – A pair of Conference USA standouts were included on the 2023 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Maxwell Foundation announced Monday. UTEP senior LB Tyrice Knight and WKU junior LB JaQues Evans represent CUSA on the Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List, an award presented to the nation’s best defensive player.
Knight, also a member of the Bronko Nagurski and Butkus Award preseason watch lists, earned a spot on the All-Conference USA Second Team last season after he tied for the team lead with 95 total tackles in 12 starts at linebacker. He ranked 10th in CUSA in total tackles and tied for seventh in tackles per game (7.92). Knight added 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, five pass break-ups, four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The Lakeland, Fla., native recorded four double-digit tackle contests, including a season-best 14 stops at New Mexico.
Evans, also a member of the Bronko Nagurski, Butkus Award and Wuerffel Trophy preseason watch lists, was WKU’s leading tackler in 2022 with 106 total stops, including 14.0 tackles for loss and nine sacks. The Dublin, Georgia, native also broke up four passes, hurried the quarterback eight times and recovered two fumbles. In WKU’s bowl-clinching victory against Rice, Evans returned a fumble for a touchdown, one of the WKU defense’s six touchdowns on the season, which led all of college football. Evans and the Hilltopper defense also forced 32 turnovers on the season, which was the best mark in the country. He hit double-digit tackles on three occasions throughout the year, his season-high being 15 against North Texas. Evans was named to CUSA’s First Team at season’s end for his big year.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 Chuck Bednarik Award has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus(PFF) andPhil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 13, 2023, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled November 28, 2023. The winners of the 29th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2023. The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2024.
Questions concerning the 2023 Bednarik Award 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, Montage Mountain Resorts, the Buccini Polin Group, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. 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 in the game.
The Chuck Bednarik Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
-ConferenceUSA.com-
