The Maxwell Football Club announced this week its preseason watch list for the 2020 Chuck Bednarik Award — presented to the top defensive player in college football.
This year’s offseason watch list includes 90 players (which seems like a lot!), including 18 from the ACC, the most of any conference.
That group of 18 players come from 11 different ACC programs; only three schools — Louisville, Georgia Tech and NC State — didn’t have at least one representative on the watch list.
The ACC is especially deep in terms of edge rushers this season: outside linebackers or defensive ends. Several high-level NFL prospects at this valued position play for ACC programs, like Duke’s Chris Rumph II, Miami’s Gregory Rousseau, Marvin Wilson from Florida State and Charles Snowden of Virginia.
Boston College
- Max Richardson, LB
Clemson
- James Skalski, LB
Duke
- Chris Rumph II, DE
- Victor Dimukeje, DE
Florida State
- Marvin Wilson, DT
- Hamsah Nasirildeen, S
Miami
- Gregory Rousseau, DE
- Quincy Roche, DE
North Carolina
- Chazz Surratt, LB
Pittsburgh
- Jaylen Twyman, DT
- Patrick Jones, DE
- Paris Ford, S
Syracuse
- Andre Cisco, S
Virginia
- Charles Snowden, LB
- Noah Taylor, LB
Virginia Tech
- Rayshard Ashby, LB
- Caleb Farley, CB
Wake Forest
- Carlos “Boogie” Basham, DE
Read More on ACC Football
Duke’s Chris Rumph II leads to continue his emergence as an unstoppable edge rusher