Jackson Woodard Recognized as Top Defender, Added to Bednarik Award Watch List

Jackson Woodard Recognized as Top Defender, Added to Bednarik Award Watch List

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV senior linebacker Jackson Woodard on Monday became the first Rebel ever to be named to the official preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football.

Already announced as a member of the 2024 watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Woodard was a 2023 First Team All-MW selection, ranked third in the conference with 117 total tackles last fall and became the program’s first-ever First Team CSC Academic All-America honoree as well. Last month he became the second Rebel to earn Preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining UNLV Hall of Famer and NFL veteran cornerback Kevin Thomas in 2000.

The Bednarik Award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club in Philadelphia, 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 an All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Semifinalists will be announced November 12 while the three finalists will be unveiled two weeks later. The winner of the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12. The formal presentation will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards held March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Under the direction of 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year Barry Odom, Woodard and the Rebels will kick off their 57th season of football on August 31 by heading to Big 12 Conference member Houston at 4 p.m. PT on FS1 in the first of a school-record 11 national TV games. The home opener comes one week later when Utah Tech comes to Allegiant Stadium for a noon kickoff on September 7.

Season tickets, three-game mini-plans and single-game tickets for the six-game 2024 home schedule are available now by visiting unlvtickets.com or calling (702) 739-FANS (3267). For information on VIP premium club seats or suites at Allegiant Stadium, contact the Premium Sales office at premiumseating@unlv.edu or by calling (702) 895-0292.

2024 CHUCK BEDNARIK WATCH LIST

CJ Nunnally, IV               Akron                Senior    DE

Deontae Lawson             Alabama           Junior     LB

Malachi Moore                Alabama           Senior    S

Tacario Davis                  Arizona             Junior     CB

Landon Jackson             Arkansas          Senior    DE

Eugene Asante               Auburn              Senior    LB

Ahmed Hassanein          Boise State       Senior    DE

Jordan Oladokun            Bowling Green  Senior    CB

Tyler Batty                      BYU                  Senior    DE

Dontay Corleone             Cincinnati         Junior     DT

Peter Woods                   Clemson           Soph      DT

Barrett Carter                  Clemson           Senior    LB

B.J. Green                      Colorado           Senior    ED

Travis Hunter                  Colorado           Junior     CB

Tre Freeman                   Duke                 Junior     LB

Shavon Revel                 East Carolina    Senior    CB

Shemar James               Florida              Junior     LB

Patrick Payton                Florida State     Junior     DE

Joshua Farmer               Florida State     Junior     DT

Mykel Williams                Georgia            Junior     DE

Smael Mondon               Georgia            Senior    LB

Malaki Starks                  Georgia            Junior     S

Sebastian Castro            Iowa                  Senior    DB

Jay Higgins                     Iowa                  Senior    LB

Nick Jackson                  Iowa                  Senior    LB

Jeremiah Cooper            Iowa State        Junior     S

Cobee Bryant                  Kansas             Senior    CB

Austin Moore                  Kansas State    Senior    LB

Maxwell Hairston            Kentucky          Junior     CB

Deone Walker                 Kentucky          Junior     DT

Quincy Riley                   Louisville          Senior    CB

Ashton Gillotte                Louisville          Senior    DE

Harold Perkins                LSU                  Junior     LB

Chandler Martin              Memphis           Junior     LB

Rueben Bain, Jr.             Miami                Soph      DE

Francisco Mauigoa         Miami                Senior    LB

Matt Salopek                   Miami (OH)       Senior    LB

Will Johnson                   Michigan           Junior     CB

Mason Graham               Michigan           Junior     DT

Kenneth Grant                Michigan           Junior     DT

Cody Lindenberg            Minnesota         Senior    LB

Johnny Walker Jr.           Missouri            Senior    ED

Colin Ramos                   Navy                 Senior    LB

Davin Vann                     NC State           Senior    DE

Nash Hutmacher             Nebraska          Senior    DT

Kaimon Rucker               North Carolina  Senior    ED

Power Echols                  North Carolina  Senior    LB

Xander Mueller               Northwestern    Senior    LB

Benjamin Morrison          Notre Dame      Junior     CB

Howard Cross III             Notre Dame      Senior    DT

Xavier Watts                   Notre Dame      Senior    S

Denzel Burke                  Ohio State        Senior    CB

Jack Sawyer                   Ohio State        Senior    DE

Caleb Downs                  Ohio State        Soph      S

Danny Stutsman             Oklahoma         Senior    LB

Billy Bowman Jr.             Oklahoma         Senior    S

Nick Martin                      Oklahoma St    Junior     LB

Collin Oliver                    Oklahoma St    Senior    LB

Jason Henderson           Old Dominion   Senior    LB

Princely Umanmielen      Ole Miss           Senior    ED

Jabbar Muhammad         Oregon             Junior     CB

Abdul Carter                   Penn State       Junior     DE

Kevin Winston Jr.            Penn State       Junior     S

Donovan McMillon          Pitt                    Senior    S

Dillon Thieneman            Purdue              Soph      S

Elijah Roberts                 SMU                 Senior    DE

Jaden Voisin                   South Alabama Senior    S

Tonka Hemingway          South Carolina Senior    DT

Marlowe Wax                  Syracuse          Senior    LB

Namdi Obiazor                TCU                  Senior    LB

James Pearce Jr.            Tennessee       Junior     ED

Jahdae Barron                Texas               Senior    DB

Nic Scourton                   Texas A&M       Junior     DE

Shemar Turner               Texas A&M       Senior    DT

Ben Bell                          Texas State      Senior    DE

Maxen Hook                   Toledo              Senior    S

Patrick Jenkins               Tulane              Senior    DT

Lee Hunter                      UCF                  Junior     DT

Jackson Woodard         UNLV               Senior   LB

Bear Alexander               USC                  Junior     DT

Junior Tafuna                  Utah                  Senior    DT

Ike Larsen                       Utah State        Junior     S

CJ Taylor                        Vanderbilt         Senior    LB

Jonas Sanker                  Virginia             Senior    S

Antwaun Powell-Ryland  Virginia Tech    Senior    DE

Aeneas Peebles             Virginia Tech    Senior    DT

Jasheen Davis                Wake Forest     Senior    DE

Ricardo Hallman             Wisconsin         Junior     CB

Hunter Wohler                Wisconsin         Senior    S

Jordan Bertagnole          Wyoming          Senior    DT