Watch list for Bednarik Award released

The watch list for the 17th Bednarik Award contains a total of 65 players representing all 11 Div. 1-A conferences. The reigning Bednarik winner is Patrick Peterson, who left LSU a year early for the NFL. The latest Bednarik watch list features just three of last season’s semifinalists, Florida State DE Brandon Jenkins, Boston College LB Luke Kuechly, and Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o. Players from the SEC and ACC make up slightlymore than half of the 2011 watch list, with the former topping the list with 18 and the former a couple behind at 15. Nine of the 12 SEC schools were represented, including Vanderbilt with two, while Alabama topped all individuals schools with five players named to the watch list, a total that represents nearly half of their starting defense. Florida State was next with four, followed by LSU, Nebraska and North Carolina with three players apiece. Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 saw seven players each representing their conference, while the Big 12 and Big East had six and four, respectively.