Blake Fletcher named to Bednarik Award Watch List
8/21/2026 10:09:00 AM | Football
Senior linebacker earns second major award list, joining Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
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.
Air Force senior ILB Blake Fletcher was named to the list. Fletcher is a 2026 preseason all-Mountain West selection and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2025. He led the team, ranked third in the Mountain West and 21st nationally in tackles with 108, a 9.0 per-game average. He had double figures in tackles in six games and led the team in tackles seven times. He recorded his career high of 11 tackles in five games. He became the first Falcon with 100-plus tackles (108) in a season since Jeremy Fejedelem in 2018. His 108 tackles are the most by a Falcon since Jordan Pierce had 177 in 2014. This is the second major award watch list for Fletcher, as he was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list earlier this season.
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.
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.
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.
Air Force senior ILB Blake Fletcher was named to the list. Fletcher is a 2026 preseason all-Mountain West selection and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2025. He led the team, ranked third in the Mountain West and 21st nationally in tackles with 108, a 9.0 per-game average. He had double figures in tackles in six games and led the team in tackles seven times. He recorded his career high of 11 tackles in five games. He became the first Falcon with 100-plus tackles (108) in a season since Jeremy Fejedelem in 2018. His 108 tackles are the most by a Falcon since Jordan Pierce had 177 in 2014. This is the second major award watch list for Fletcher, as he was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list earlier this season.
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.
| First | Last | Pos | School | Class Year |
| Blake | Fletcher | LB | Air Force | Senior |
| Bray | Hubbard | S | Alabama | Senior |
| Zabien | Brown | CB | Alabama | Junior |
| Yhonzae | Pierre | LB | Alabama | Senior |
| Colton | Phares | LB | Appalachian State | Junior |
| Taye | Brown | LB | Arizona | Senior |
| Quincy | Rhodes | DE | Arkansas | Senior |
| Xavier | Atkins | LB | Auburn | Junior |
| Travion | Barnes | LB | Baylor | Senior |
| Isaiah | Glasker | LB | BYU | Senior |
| Cade | Uluave | LB | BYU | Senior |
| Faletau | Satuala | S | BYU | Junior |
| Jonathan | Thompson | LB | Cincinnati | Senior |
| Sammy | Brown | LB | Clemson | Junior |
| Ashton | Hampton | CB | Clemson | Junior |
| Gideon | Lampron | LB | Colorado | Senior |
| Gavin | Moul | LB | Delaware | Senior |
| Myles | Graham | LB | Florida | Junior |
| Ja'Bril | Rawls | CB | Florida State | Junior |
| Raylen | Wilson | LB | Georgia | Senior |
| Ellis | Robinson | CB | Georgia | Sophomore |
| KJ | Bolden | S | Georgia | Junior |
| MJ | Stroud | DE | Georgia Southern | Senior |
| Will | James | CB | Houston | Junior |
| Matthew | Bailey | DB | Illinois | Senior |
| Tyrique | Tucker | NT | Indiana | Senior |
| Rolijah | Hardy | LB | Indiana | Junior |
| Isaiah | Jones | LB | Indiana | Senior |
| Zach | Lutmer | S | Iowa | Junior |
| Isaac | Terrell | DE | Iowa State | Senior |
| Caleb | Nix | S | Jacksonville State | Senior |
| Trey | Lathan | LB | Kansas | Senior |
| Wendell | Gregory | DE | Kansas State | Sophomore |
| Kolbe | Fields | LB | Louisiana Tech | Senior |
| Clev | Lubin | DE | Louisville | Senior |
| Princewill | Umanmielen | DE | LSU | Senior |
| Whit | Weeks | LB | LSU | Senior |
| DJ | Pickett | CB | LSU | Sophomore |
| Daniel | Wingate | LB | Maryland | Senior |
| Ian | Foster | DB | Memphis | Junior |
| Ahmad | Moten | DT | Miami | Senior |
| Damon | Wilson | DE | Miami | Senior |
| John Henry | Daley | DE | Michigan | Junior |
| Jyaire | Hill | CB | Michigan | Junior |
| Jordan | Hall | LB | Michigan State | Senior |
| Anthony | Smith | DE | Minnesota | Senior |
| Kelley | Jones | CB | Mississippi State | Junior |
| Dylan | LaBarbera | DE | Nevada | Senior |
| Jaxton | Eck | LB | New Mexico | Senior |
| Melkart | Abou Jaoude | DE | North Carolina | Senior |
| Keenan | Wilson | DT | North Dakota State | Junior |
| Robert | Fitzgerald | S | Northwestern | Senior |
| Boubacar | Traore | DE | Notre Dame | Junior |
| Leonard | Moore | CB | Notre Dame | Junior |
| Adon | Shuler | S | Notre Dame | Junior |
| DJ | Walker | S | Ohio | Junior |
| Kenyatta | Jackson | DE | Ohio State | Senior |
| Earl | Little | S | Ohio State | Senior |
| David | Stone | DT | Oklahoma | Junior |
| Kip | Lewis | LB | Oklahoma | Senior |
| Peyton | Bowen | S | Oklahoma | Junior |
| Will | Echoles | NT | Ole Miss | Junior |
| Keaton | Thomas | LB | Ole Miss | Senior |
| Matayo | Uiagalelei | DE | Oregon | Senior |
| A'Mauri | Washington | DT | Oregon | Senior |
| Brandon | Finney | CB | Oregon | Sophomore |
| Jeremiah | Cooper | S | Penn State | Senior |
| Braylan | Lovelace | LB | Pittsburgh | Senior |
| Dylan | Stewart | DE | South Carolina | Junior |
| Matt | Rose | LB | Stanford | Senior |
| Jamel | Johnson | S | TCU | Senior |
| Amare | Campbell | LB | Tennessee | Junior |
| Ty | Redmond | CB | Tennessee | Sophomore |
| Colin | Simmons | DE | Texas | Junior |
| Rasheem | Biles | LB | Texas | Senior |
| Dalton | Brooks | S | Texas A&M | Senior |
| A.J. | Holmes | DT | Texas Tech | Senior |
| Ben | Roberts | LB | Texas Tech | Senior |
| Brice | Pollock | CB | Texas Tech | Senior |
| Donnie | Smith | DE | Troy | Senior |
| Jack | Tchienchou | S | Tulane | Junior |
| Elijah | Green | CB | Tulsa | Junior |
| Lewis | Carter | LB | UCF | Senior |
| Noah | Flemmings | LB | ULM | Senior |
| Jontez | Williams | CB | USC | Senior |
| Johnathan | Hall | LB | Utah | Senior |
| Brevin | Hamblin | S | Utah State | Senior |
| Kam | Robinson | LB | Virginia | Senior |
| Kemari | Copeland | DT | Virginia Tech | Senior |
| Langston | Hardy | DE | Wake Forest | Senior |
| Mason | Posa | LB | Wisconsin | Sophomore |
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.
Players Mentioned
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