APThe latest in the parade of preseason watch lists to be released over the next week and a half is the Bednarik Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player since 1995.
And, as could be expected, two of the top defenses in the country last season are well represented on this year’s preseason watch list. Both Alabama and LSU, which squared off in the BcS title game following the end of the 2011 regular season, placed four players apiece on this year’s list.
Michigan State also placed four players on the list, the only other school to do so.
Four semifinalists for last year’s award also made the initial cut this year – Kansas State LB Arthur Brown, LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu, Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o and Stanford LB Chase Thomas. Mathieu was named the winner of the 2011 Bednarik last December.
A total of 66 players are on this year’s watch list, including just two sophomores (South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and USC linebacker Dion Bailey).
For all of your preseason watch list needs, click HERE.
It is going to be fun watching John Simon play this year! It appears that he has gotten way stronger under the new training program and is set to wreck havoc on the offensive units we face this year!
umm… wouldn’t it have been fair to include Michigan St in that group listed in the article title? 4 players is a great achievement for any program.
All very capable defensive players. Expected LSU and Bama to have a large number and they did not disappoint. Should be quite a season. Last season’s winner Tyrann has the inside track on it this year, or Reid may take this one and Tyrann claim the Heiman for himself. It is all pre-season now so it is all fun speculation.
Texas and USC has 3 each. USC will undoubtedly utililze their 3 nominees to win games and likely their conference and possibly put themselves into a position for the BCS championship game. Texas will undoubtedly utitlize their 3 nominees to once again produce an undistinguisted team and season, disappointing fans. Instead of giving Mack Brown another raise in pay and extension, try a different coaching staff. That is the recommendation of the Longhorns with whom I work.
thraiderskin: Absolutely. Kudos to Michigan State for the 4 nominees. No doubt this is demonstrative of the defense as a whole this year which should really provide some problems for the offenses they face.
alligatorsnapper says:
Jul 9, 2012 4:56 PM
All very capable defensive players. Expected LSU and Bama to have a large number and they did not disappoint. Should be quite a season. Last season’s winner Tyrann has the inside track on it this year, or Reid may take this one and Tyrann claim the Heiman for himself. It is all pre-season now so it is all fun speculation.
Texas and USC has 3 each. USC will undoubtedly utililze their 3 nominees to win games and likely their conference and possibly put themselves into a position for the BCS championship game. Texas will undoubtedly utitlize their 3 nominees to once again produce an undistinguisted team and season, disappointing fans. Instead of giving Mack Brown another raise in pay and extension, try a different coaching staff. That is the recommendation of the Longhorns with whom I work.
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Nice job bringing us all a completely uninformed opinion. Do we really need to re-hash all this? Apparently we do, because here’s the last time you trolled using your ignorance as bait:
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/28/neinas-only-notre-dame-enhances-the-value-for-big-12-television/
You said this: “The Texas alums and fans with whom I work, think the Longhorns are all the Big 12 needs. They are similar to the Irish in that they recruit consistently high and mismanage their talent into losing.”
To which I replied:
“That’s hyperbolic at best, and a complete falsehood at its root. Losing? Has there been a program with more wins than Texas since 1998, when Mack Brown took over? If so, it’s an extremely short list.
Here are some program accomplishments from Young’s first season as a full-time starter (2004) to present:
Four top-five finishes, two BCS title game appearances, one BCS title, 3-1 in all BCS bowls, two division championships (one shared), two conference championships, six bowl wins, and an 83-21 record
It’s true that there are other excellent programs, like Alabama and LSU, that can make similar claims, but of course I’ve not seen you make claims that they’re losing like you did about Texas. For comparison…
Alabama: two top-three finishes, two* BCS title game appearances, two BCS titles, two division championships, one conference championship, five bowl wins, and a 77-27 record
LSU: two top-three finishes, two BCS title game appearances, one BCS title, 3-1 in all BCS bowls, three division championships, two SEC championships, five bowl wins, and an 84-21 record
I think Texas measures up pretty well, as far as team accomplishments. Care to tell me how I’m wrong?
In terms of overall record, I went back as far as 2000 for the best overall records:
Boise State 135-19
Oklahoma 131-29
Texas 122-31
Ohio State 120-23
TCU 118-31
(note: USC had more wins than TCU, with a 120-33 record, but also had a lower winning percentage)
Keep in mind, this is all including UT’s two worst seasons since the mid-1990s.
Now it’s your turn.”
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Of course you never bothered replying. It’s one thing if you just never revisited the thread, which would be understandable, but just in case you stop by this one again, be sure to respond this time. You’re completely wrong in every way on this, and you just come off looking like a moron when you post things like that.
Burnt orange, it’s quite clear who the moron is on this thread. Stick to the topic and get over the fact that your rambling on in a previous thread did not receive a response. You sound like a third grader screaming for attention.
foreverlsu, I refuse to believe that you lack the ability to figure out that alligatorsnapper was the one who deviated from the topic by trolling with his falsehoods, and that I was responding DIRECTLY to that. If you’re going to whine about not sticking to the topic, direct your comments toward alligatorsnapper.
And by the way, foreverlsu, I’d be really interested to know what your backward logic is that causes you to conclude that the guy who is actually posting factual information is the moron. What’s that make alligatorsnapper, who posted patently false information, and you, who can’t even figure out the right person to criticize for going off-topic?
Yep, buttsonaguyshorn is the real idiot here. Texass is THE most overrated program out there…the bully in on of the most populous states in the US, yet their poorer rival to the north has nearly twice as many national titles. What a joke the Shorthorn program is.
First of all, bravo on showing your true colors, bozosforall. Using a homophobic slur in an attempt to insult someone is an example of the backwardness that is the only thing that makes aggie notable, because we sure know football isn’t.
Secondly, yeah, Texas is totally overrated. Only three national title appearances, three BCS wins, three conference titles, and three top-two Heisman finishes in the past seven years. Only top-three in wins since 2000. That’s just awful.
Let me know when your aggies win anything…at all. Seriously, aggie went from being a below-average program in the Big 12 to a below-average program in the SEC. Looks like those juvenile, laughingstock traditions are really working. Maybe more of the usual aggie homophobic slurs, with a few racial slurs, would do the trick, right?
Homophobic? Nah, just setting the record straight about the sexual preferences of the guys who go to school in Austin. Never said that there was anything wrong with it. And for the record, I’m not an Aggie.
Schools submit players to be included on these watch lists. There is very little, if any filtering of those nominated by their school by the selection committee for any of these lists.