ORLANDO – The Maxwell Football Club has announced its watch list for the 26th annual Chuck Bednarik Award on Monday afternoon, and UCF senior safety Richie Grant was among those honored.
The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.
A two-time first-team all-conference honoree in the American Athletic Conference, Grant has started in 25 of the last 26 games for the UCF football team. He has totaled 187 tackles, seven interceptions and 11 pass break-ups in the last two seasons. He was also named to the preseason watch list for the Lott Impact Trophy.
Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 3, 2020, while the three finalists for the Bednarik Award will be unveiled Nov. 23, 2020. The winner of the 2020 Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 10, 2020. The formal presentation of the award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Tropicana Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on March 12, 2021.