Sanker appears on Bednarik Award watch list for nation’s top defender

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia safety Jonas Sanker has been named to the 2024 Chuck Bednarik Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday. In its 30th year, the Bednarik Award is presented annually to college football’s most outstanding defensive player. 

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. 

In addition to being voted a 2024 All-ACC Preseason honoree, Sanker was also named a preseason watch list selection for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award.

In 2023, Sanker was named a First Team All-ACC selection by both the conference office and the Associated Press. He led the Cavaliers in total tackles (107), pass breakups (11) and forced fumbles (3). Sanker also led UVA in tackles in eight of its 12 games last season, including when he recorded a career-high12 tackles against James Madison and Boston College. 

Sanker is one of 19 ACC defensive student-athletes to be represented on the list.

The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine. 

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winners of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024.

The formal presentations of the Chuck Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

More preseason watch lists for @JonasSanker @BednarikAward #UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/VY5ywPxNf6

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 12, 2024

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 Football Dawgs, Montage Mountain Resort, DCH Health System, Bradford White, Limitless NIL, SRA Inc, ETC Foundation and the Bradley Law Firm. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org. 

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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.