Four Buckeye defenders were named to the 23rd Bednarik Award preseason watch list Monday.
Linebacker Jerome Baker, defensive ends Nick Bosa and Tyquan Lewis, and cornerback Denzel Ward join 82 other players named to the preseason list.
Baker finished second on the team in tackles last season (79) and played his best when it mattered most, recording a 68-yard pick six against Oklahoma, 13 tackles in an overtime win against No. 8 Wisconsin and an interception and a career-high 15 tackles against No. 3 Michigan.
Bosa finished his true freshman campaign with 5.0 quarterback sacks and 7.0 tackles-for-loss. He was one of four Buckeyes to earn freshman All-American status last year.
Lewis has led the Buckeyes in sacks each of the last two seasons and is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Ward did not start a game in 2016, but saw 468 snaps as part of a three-man cornerback rotation with Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley, both first-round selections in April's NFL Draft.
Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced on October 30, 2017, while the three finalists will be unveiled November 20, 2017. The award winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 7, 2017.
Previous winners of the Bednarik Award:
Year | Player | School |
---|---|---|
1995 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern |
1996 | Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern |
1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan |
1998 | Dat Nguyen | Texas A&M |
1999 | LaVar Arrington | Penn State |
2000 | Dan Morgan | Miami |
2001 | Julius Peppers | North Carolina |
2002 | E. J. Henderson | Maryland |
2003 | Teddy Lehman | Oklahoma |
2004 | David Pollack | Georgia |
2005 | Paul Posluszny | Penn State |
2006 | Paul Posluszny | Penn State |
2007 | Dan Connor | Penn State |
2008 | Rey Maualuga | USC |
2009 | Ndamukong Suh | Nebraska |
2010 | Patrick Peterson | LSU |
2011 | Tyrann Mathieu | LSU |
2012 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame |
2013 | Aaron Donald | Pittsburgh |
2014 | Scooby Wright III | Arizona |
2015 | Tyler Matakevich | Temple |
2016 | Jonathan Allen | Alabama |